PORT CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The first 18 of 281 production models of U.S.-made Mobile Strike Force Vehicles have been shipped to the Afghan National Army.
The vehicles will be used by the ANA for a Quick Reaction Force capability, the U.S. Army said.
The MSFVs, which feature additional armor protection and commercial off-the-shelf parts, are upgraded versions of a Textron Marine and Land Systems' original vehicle platform design.
"MSFV is the definition of a rapid fielding initiative," said Col. William Boruff, project manager for Joint Combat Support Systems. "We have gone from receiving a theater-defined requirement to awarding a contract and completing the Army acquisition process, resulting in delivery of the first low-rate initial production vehicles off the production line in just 14 months."
The MSFV family comes in three variants: an armored personnel carrier with a gunner's protective kit, an APC with Turret, and an armored ambulance.
The Army said its product manager for armored security vehicle office is working with the Combined Security Training Command-Afghanistan to provide seven ANA battalion-sized units by the end of 2013.
The MSFV program is managed by the Army's PdM ASV, which falls under the leadership of PM JCSS within the Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support.
