plus 4, MX Sports Pro Racing announces 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross ... - American Motorcyclist Association |
- MX Sports Pro Racing announces 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross ... - American Motorcyclist Association
- Oshkosh receives order for 1,000 more composite-armored vehicles - High Performance Composites
- Big Men's Tools - Highest Quality Products at the Most Economical ... - PRLog (free press release)
- M-ATV: A Win, at Last, for Oshkosh - Defense Industry Daily
- UPDATE 1-Dual-listed Antonov plans to delist from AIM - Reuters
| Posted: 24 Nov 2009 12:09 PM PST
From a press release issued by MX Sports Pro Racing... MORGANTOWN, W.V. (November 24, 2009) - After one of the most thrilling seasons in AMA Motocross history, MX Sports Pro Racing is pleased to announce the highly-anticipated 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship schedule. Beginning in 1972, the AMA Pro Racing-sanctioned U.S. outdoor national championship has served as the most prestigious motocross championship on the planet, consistently showcasing the world's best riders. The 2010 season will commence on Saturday, May 22, 2010, with the Hangtown Motocross Classic just outside Sacramento, Calif. From there, the series will travel throughout the country before coming to a dramatic conclusion on Labor Day Weekend with the Steel City Motocross National on September 4, 2010, in Delmont, Pa. Each stop of the 12-race series will feature the premier 450 Class, which was won by Chad Reed in 2009, as well as the ultra-competitive 250 Class, which will be wide open as a result of '09 champion Ryan Dungey's move up to the premier 450 Class. The Women's Motocross (WMX) will also be a highlight at eight rounds of the Lucas Oil Motocross Championships, led by reigning champion Ashley Fiolek. In addition to the premier racing classes, fans can also expect unique motocross-related entertainment and attractions to be added as the season approaches. "The 2009 season was a transitional year for AMA Motocross, with lots of positive changes, and there's more to come," said Davey Coombs, vice president of MX Sports. "We feel the 12 circuits the tour is visiting now make up the very best tracks in the country, though we continue to search for new opportunities and areas to visit in the near future-especially in the southeast. It is our goal to be there in 2011, as the facilities we are eyeing are continuing to build their infrastructure and racing circuits." Also returning for 2010 is one of the strongest media, promotional and television packages in two-wheel racing, produced in conjunction via partnerships at both SPEED TV and NBC. In addition, races will also be streamed live via the series website, which is located at www.allisports.com. A special feature that new for 2010 is the opportunity for fans to purchase VIP tickets for each event beginning the day after Thanksgiving; Friday, November 27. These season VIP tickets will be on sale at www.allisports.com (visit the motocross section) and available for every event on the schedule. VIP ticket benefits vary by track, but generally include such special features as an all day pit pass, a special viewing area, VIP parking, catered lunch, complimentary event program and many other special benefits. These are the best seats in the house and are available only in limited quantities, thus they will sell out quick. "For the first time in the history of the series, our fans can purchase event tickets to every round through one convenient source and in partnership with a leading nationwide ticket provider" said Nick McCabe of MX Sports. "VIP tickets represent the best seats at the track and we are pleased to make them easier to access and purchase on a worldwide level".
MX Sports Pro Racing Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports Lucas Oil Products Forrest Lucas and his wife, Charlotte, founded Lucas Oil Products in 1989 after he spent 20 years as a truck driver and owner of a nationwide long-haul trucking fleet. They experienced firsthand the need for better lubricants and fuel treatments to maintain their equipment. Lucas Oil is involved in an array of motorsports sponsorships, including the "Official Motor Oil of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship." For more information on Lucas Oil, please visit www.LucasOil.com. AMA Pro Racing This content has passed through fivefilters.org.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Oshkosh receives order for 1,000 more composite-armored vehicles - High Performance Composites Posted: 24 Nov 2009 08:05 AM PST
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Oshkosh Corp. (Oshkosh, Wis., USA) has announced that it has received an additional $438 million award from the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM LCMC) for 1,000 composite-armored MRAP All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV). This is the fifth award Oshkosh has received to supply M-ATVs and brings the total number of vehicles Oshkosh will deliver to 6,219. The aggregate amount of the five awards is valued at more than $3.2 billion. Oshkosh Defense has teamed with Plasan North America (Bennington, Vt., USA) to provide an advanced composite armor solution for the M-ATV. Plasan also developed the armor system used on more than 5,000 legacy MRAPs and thousands of Oshkosh MTVR Armored Cabs already in theater. "The most significant way we can show support for our Armed Forces is high rate, quality production of these important vehicles that provide the mobility and survivability necessary for the harsh Afghanistan terrain," said Robert G. Bohn, Oshkosh chairman and CEO. "Additionally, through our extensive network of aftermarket services, we are supporting the vehicles in-theater with parts supply and field service representative support." This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Big Men's Tools - Highest Quality Products at the Most Economical ... - PRLog (free press release) Posted: 24 Nov 2009 07:51 AM PST PR Log (Press Release) – Nov 24, 2009 – Big Men's Tools is one of the largest sellers of quality power tools, with over 1,000 tools that are designed and built to perform under the highest quality standards. The company differentiates themselves from other similar providers of quality power tools by making their products economical and long-lasting at the same time.
Big Men's Tools is brought to you by the same company behind MensRedTag.com, another top notch website for men and one of the exclusive high-growth companies in the nation (ranked at No. 11 in the list of retail companies by Inc. 500), with an amazing growth rate of 922.4%! The company is a direct seller of Master Quality Tools & Machinery, Inc., a hand tool, power tool and power equipment manufacturer and distributor with international production facilities, selling only the best names in industrial tools globally, ensuring that you purchase the best products at economical prices. Products are available under all power tools categories, including Abrasive Blasting, Accessories, Air Tools, ATV's, Automotive, Construction, Generator, Generator Welder, Hand Tools, Material Handling, Metal Fabricating, Power Tools, Pressure Washers, Water Pumps, Welding, Wheel & Castor and Wood Working. Big Men's Tools sells some of the most famous products under the following trademarks: Kwik Tool Quality Tools, Master Quality Power, Olympia-Tools and All-Power. The products are not only efficient, economical and durable, but they comply with the most stringent laboratory testing e.g., Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) and environmental requirements like CARB (California Air Resource Board) and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulations, as and where applicable. The company's manufacturing facilities are certified under ISO 9001 management standards. Big Men's Tools is a division of Crystal Internet, Inc. and is situated at 81 North Chicago Street, Suite 200; Joliet, IL 60432. The BigMensTools.com website is based on WebJaguar eCommerce, providing a comfortable and easy to use shopping experience. You can check out their products at www.bigmenstools.com. For further information on Big Men's Tools, you can contact the company at customerservice@ bigmenstools.com or call them at 866.942.4243. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| M-ATV: A Win, at Last, for Oshkosh - Defense Industry Daily Posted: 24 Nov 2009 06:25 AM PST US government FedBizOpps, November 2008: "The Government plans to acquire an MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV). The M-ATV is a lighter, off-road, and more maneuverable vehicle that incorporates current MRAP level protection. The M-ATV will require effectiveness in an off-road mission profile. The vehicle will include EFP and RPG protection (integral or removable kit). The M-ATV will maximize both protection levels and off-road mobility & maneuverability attributes, and must balance the effects of size and weight while attempting to achieve the stated requirements." The current plan expects to spend up to $3.3 billion to order 5,244 M-ATVs for the US Army (2,598), Marine Corps (1,565), Special Operations Command (643), US Air Force (280) and the Navy (65), plus 93 test vehicles; but FY 2010 budgets indicate that this total will rise further. Monthly delivery rates of up to 1,000 vehicles were part of the solicitation; when combined with requirements around classified data and regulatory compliance, the only reasonable contenders were firms that already produced MRAPs, trucks, or tactical vehicles for American forces: BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Force Protection, Navistar, and Oshkosh. Oshkosh Defense secured a long-denied MRAP win, and continues to remain ahead of production targets. The latest news includes simulator contracts, and November production… Requirements and Contenders M-ATV vehicles will hold 4 passengers, including the driver, and a gunner. That seems very similar to the MRAP Category I vehicles, and it is. On the other hand, a WIRED Danger Room story noted: "As Captain Charles O'Neill, commander of B Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, told me, a few of the MRAPs had "gone into the wadi" – i.e., rolled over – during operations in Helmand. "The MRAP is an outstanding vehicle for force protection," he said. "It would do great on paved roads. However, here in southern Helmand province, the roads don't facilitate the MRAP necessarily that well." One option has involved refitting existing MRAP vehicles. Over 1,300 of Force Protection's Cougars will receive Oshkosh TAK-4 independent suspensions, which are already in use on the Marines' MTVR trucks, in order to improve their all-terrain handling. The other response was the M-ATV competition, which aims to field a vehicle with an (empty equipped) curb weight under 25,000 pounds, and the protection and mobility characteristics described above. That's still considerably heavier than a Hummer; the ubiquitous M1114 maxes out at 12,000 pounds with its add-on armor, and the top of M-ATV's range is similar to a number of MRAP Category I contenders' curb weights. Its mission is small unit combat operations in highly restricted, rural, mountainous and/or urban environments. M-ATVs will be used for mounted patrols, reconnaissance, security, convoy protection, communications, command and control and combat service support. To that end, it will be qualified for fit out with a variety of equipment, from LRAS3 surveillance and targeting systems, to accompanying ROVER IV systems for working with UAV video feeds and TacAir support, to TOW ITAS anti-armor missiles, to CREW frequency jammers as land-mine protection, to Boomerang or Doubleshot anti-sniper systems, to CROWS II remote weapons systems, as required. A number of firms competed: BAE's Global Tactical Systems division submitted a model that is based on their Caiman Light MRAP, which in turn is based on the Army's standard FMTV medium trucks. GTS M-ATV includes a number of changes, most notably a smaller crew compartment and a lengthened "nose" to provide better balance. BAE U.S. Combat Systems' M-ATV looks somewhat like its Valanx JLTV entry, but has greater protection levels, with a smaller and more protected crew capsule purpose-built to M-ATV requirements. The Arvin-Meritor suspension, the drive train, and the power train are shared with their Valanx, as is the 6 liter V8 engine. Force Protection teamed with General Dynamics to submit their Cheetah vehicle, which has been in development since 2005. The Cheetah has been evaluated by the US Marines, and had a curb weight of just 14,000 pounds when introduced. Subsequent variants have reportedly passed sponsored Army testing to MRAP I survivability levels, and has undergone initial mobility and durability testing at the Nevada Automotive Test Center. The Cheetah was a new addition for Force Dynamics, which had previously been confined to producing the Cougar vehicles that did so much to spark the MRAP program. Force Dynamics, LLC added Raytheon to their team, in order to provide a comprehensive command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system (C4ISR) plug-and-play ready architecture for the M-ATV Cheetah, using the C4ISR Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF). It would allow plug-and-play integration of a wide range of Army electronics, while also improving the vehicles' monitoring capabilities. General Dynamics Land Systems attempted to field a variant of the RG-31. This vehicle, offered in partnership with BAE and the Canadian government, had been ordered by American units before the MRAP program began, received additional MRAP orders, and reportedly earned good reviews for its Afghan performance. GDLS initial 2 M-ATV prototypes were not accepted for testing, however leaving General Dynamics with its Force Dynamics partnership as its only M-ATV option. Its partnership with Hummer manufacturer AM General remains intact for the JLTV, and that partnership did not field an M-ATV candidate. Navistar led the MRAP competition, and submitted an M-ATV design based on the MXT/Husky design that won one of Britain's OUVS orders for future Tactical Support Vehicles. Their derived M-ATV prototype used a specially-designed, light-weight armor. That advantage is compounded by a smaller base that allows them to weigh significantly less than its MaxxPro Dash MRAP, while using the same MaxxForce™ D 6.0 liter V8 engine. Navistar would be able to support its M-ATV units in theater through its existing dealer and parts and support network, which includes locations in Afghanistan. Oshkosh Defense had far less success to build on. In the MRAP competition, its PVI partnership entry for MRAP Category I failed testing, while its Bushmaster partnership with Thales for MRAP Category II received no orders, despite a successful record of front line service with Australian and Dutch forces. Its JLTV entry with Northrop Grumman was not among the initial round's 3 picks, even as BAE participated in 2 of the winning entries, General Dynamics in one, and Navistar in one. A GAO protest failed to change that outcome, despite an attractive price for their entry. It had been a surprising series of setbacks for the firm that produces and supports the US Army's FHTV heavy truck fleet, and the US Marines' MTVR medium and LVSR heavy trucks. The firm elected to submit a design that bears many visual similarities to their JLTV entry, but without the high-end systems like a hybrid drive, which would have required further development. The core of the vehicle is the MTVR medium truck chassis and its TAK-4 suspension. TAK-4 is being used to refit Cougar MRAPs, and already exceeds M-ATV's off road specifications by offering a 70% off road mobility profile (M-ATV: 50%) and more than 16 inches of independent wheel travel. An Oshkosh representative told DID that "generally speaking [TAK-4] will increase the speed of the vehicle by 1.5 – 2.5 times over the speed of the same vehicle with a straight axle suspension without sacrificing ride quality." The vehicle's Super Multi-Hit Armor Technology (SMART) armor is used in theater by NATO, and its C7 engine is currently used in more than 18,000 vehicles fielded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The vehicle has an empty "curb weight" of 25,000 pounds, and a Gross Vehicle Weight of 32,500 pounds, including the M-ATV objective maximum of 4,000 pounds of payload. Northrop Grumman was not a partner for M-ATV, but Oshkosh did leverage its long-standing relationship with Plasan Sasa of Israel to develop an armoring approach that could meet full MRAP protection levels. Plasan Sasa had up-armored Oshkosh's MTVR trucks for the Marines, and was also Navistar's armoring partner for the successful MaxxPro MRAP family. At present, their winning entry is known only as the "Oshkosh M-ATV". By winning the competition, Oshkosh has secured 3 valuable prizes. One is significant representation in the USA's MRAP-type buys, with its attendant near-term cash flow. The second prize is a success story in the tactical vehicle category, something Oshkosh has not been known for in the past. The 3rd prize stems from the other 2, and involves the JLTV competition that will follow M-ATV to replace a sizeable portion of the USA's Hummer fleet. Since JLTV is designed as an open competition at each stage, the Oshkosh/Northrop Grumman team's loss in round 1 just forces Oshkosh to spend its own development dollars if it wants to remain in the race. By securing the M-ATV tactical vehicle design win and attendant production funding, those improvements and investments become much easier to make. Contracts and Key Events Under the M-ATV program, each competitor submitted 2 vehicles for initial testing, and some received a 2nd order for 3 more test vehicles. That was followed by a sole source contract, which could escalate to 10,000 vehicles. Nov 19/09: The way Army vehicles must be driven, and where they must be driven, means that the ability to get out of a vehicle quickly matters almost as much as what the vehicle can do for while you're in it. Oshkosh Defense announces received a $5.6 million firm-fixed-price contract from the U.S. Army for the procurement of 26 "egress trainer cabin modules" for the Oshkosh M-ATV, and initial spare parts for a stateside training and certification standard program. The modules are simulators that can train soldiers to get out of an M-ATV vehicle, even if it is flipped or in otherwise abnormal situations. a shift in Army thinking has encouraged M-ATV training to take place stateside versus in theater. The M-ATV cabin modules will be manufactured at the company's facilities in McConnellsburg, PA. Nov 19/09: Oshkosh meets the November M-ATV production requirement ahead of schedule, marking the 5th consecutive month. Oshkosh says that it will continue to increase production to meet December's requirement of 1,000 vehicles, with output remaining at that high level through April 2010. Nov 11/09: Oshkosh announces an additional $438 million, 1,000 vehicle order from the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM LCMC). This is the 5th award Oshkosh has received to supply M-ATVs, and brings total orders to 6,219 vehicles and more than $3.2 billion. An option for 400 more M-ATVs and Basic Items of Issue is also included in this delivery order, which would bring the production total to 6,619. Nov 11th is the Veteran's Day holiday, so the Pentagon doesn't announce the firm-fixed-price contract until Nov 12/09. Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of May 31/12. Five bids were solicited in the original contract, with 5 bids received by the U.S. Army TACOM Contracting Center AMSTA-TAC-ATBC in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-D-0111). Nov 11/09: BAE Systems announces a "multi-million dollar" sub-contract from Plasan North America to provide M-ATV armoring kit components to the program. Work on the contract will begin this month at BAE Systems' production facilities in Fairfield, OH. Tony Russell, president of BAE Systems' Security & Survivability business, said: "The partnership between BAE Systems and Plasan represents the first of what we believe will be many collaborative efforts between our two companies." Nov 10/09: Oshkosh announces that it beat October 2009's M-ATV delivery schedule of 385 vehicles, producing more than 435 vehicles during that month. This marks the 4th consecutive month Oshkosh has beaten the schedule, as it ramps up toward a planned production rate of 1,000 vehicles per month. Oct 28/09: President Obama signs the FY 2010 defense budget into law. That budget includes $6.656 billion in funding for MRAP vehicles, $1.2 billion above the Pentagon's original request. Sigificant chunks of that funding will be devoted to M-ATV purchases. White House | House- Oct 27/09: Oshkosh announces 2 M-ATV contracts valued at more than $28 million. They include a $16 million contract from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) for spare parts, and a $12 million contract from rom the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM LCMC)for field service representatives (FSR) to support the M-ATV program in-theater through September 2010. Oshkosh expects to complete production of the current M-ATV contract for 5,219 vehicles in March 2010. Oct 22/09: An initial 8 M-ATVs arrive in Kandahar by aerial transport. These vehicles will be used to train drivers and mechanics from units selected to receive M-ATVs. Note that earlier Pentagon announcements indicated M-ATVs in theater at the end of September, whereas this release places the initial use date into late October and tags it as a training set. One possibility is that the initial shipments were Special Forces vehicles. Another is that this announcement refers only to one Afghan sector, and that eastern sectors may have received the vehicles first. Pentagon DVIDS. Oct 12/09: Oshkosh announces that it will be submitting its M-ATV and Sandcat vehicles for Australia's PMV-L component of Overlander. Their partners in these 2 proposals are Plasan SASA, Ltd., who supplies the armoring solutions for both vehicles and developed the Sandcat/ Caracal; and local Oshkosh division JLG Australia, who will assist in manufacturing the vehicles and handle through-life support. Australia has also indicated that they will be continuing onto the next phase of the American JLTV competition, which does not presently include these Oshkosh vehicles. Oct 9/09: Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, WI receives a $408.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of another 923 MRAP All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs) and aftermarket parts package that includes basic issue items. This brings total announced M-ATV orders to $2.76 billion for the full expected amount of 5,244 vehicles – a total that includes unannounced government orders for 25 test vehicles. Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of May 31/12. The company plans to ramp production up to 1,000 vehicles per month in December 2009, and continue at that level through at least March 2010. Five bids were solicited for the original contract, with 5 bids received by TACOM, AMSCC-TAC-ADCA in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-D-0111). See also: Oshkosh release. Oct 5/09: SCHOTT DiamondView Armor Products LLC exhibits its DiamondView transparent armor window technology at AUSA. The DiamondView windows were selected for Oshkosh's M-ATVs, and use a transparent glass-ceramic combination. It is hoped that DiamondView windows will be able to reduce lifecycle costs normally associated with windows delaminating, discoloring or peeling. The firm has been a defense industry supplier for 40 years, and currently holds world records for producing the world's thinnest piece of glass (0.025mm, for medical technology and electronics), and the world's largest piece of glass (8m tall, for astronomy). In order to fill the Oshkosh contract, SCHOTT DAP has ramped up manufacturing at both its Boothwyn, PA and Vincennes, IN production facilities. The Vincennes/ now County facility currently processes and finishes glass-ceramic cooktops and flat glass for the home appliance industry, but the firm will invest $7.2 million over the next few years to add the transparent armor line. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered SCHOTT North America up to $2.32 million in performance-based tax credits and up to $50,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans, and the city of Vincennes will consider additional property tax abatement at the request of the Knox County Development Corporation. Hiring is underway, and the company expects to add more than 200 employees at peak production. SCHOTT DiamondView release | SCHOTT Vincennes release. Oct 2/09: Oshkosh announces a $33 million award from the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM LCMC) to supply a rear mounted, infared-enabled camera system on more than 2,200 MRAP All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV). The camera system has been deployed on other MRAPs. It integrates with existing vehicle video displays to provide a 40-degree vertical and 54-degree horizontal field of view. The system uses an infrared camera core in an LED-equipped tailgate assembly, and provides visibility through dust, obscurants and incremental weather in day and night operations. We all know drivers who could use one of these; on a battlefield they can save your life, as well as your vehicle bumper. Oct 2/09: A release from the Marines says that M-ATV vehicles have started to flow from Oshkosh to Us Navy Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic. Oshkosh delivers the base vehicle, but modern military vehicles have a wide array of electronics and equipment to install, from jammers, to radios and other communications devices, to weapons like RWS turrets. The cost adds up, and so does the time required to install everything. According to M-ATV Joint Program Executive Officer, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, they're using lessons learned from the MRAP program to speed up delivery to the front lines – something that became a problem early in the MRAP program: "We were able to feed back to Oshkosh specific bracketry, racks and cabling so all that can be installed in the vehicle during manufacture; which means we dont have to do it at SPAWAR. The goal was to push as much of that work that was getting done at SPAWAR, particularly the touch labor, upstream into the manufacturing process. Because we knew it going into this, we were able to include it into the design. That clearly is one of the lessons learned from Baseline MRAP that will speed the process at Charleston." Oct 1/09: Oshkosh announces that they have exceeded M-ATV delivery requirements for the 3rd consecutive month. The September 2009 production target of 100 vehicles was met on Sept 22/09. Sept 29/09: The Pentagon announces that the first Oshkosh M-ATVs have been deployed to Afghanistan. Sept 14/09: Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, WI receives a $189.1 million firm-fixed-price IDIQ contract for another 352 MRAP All Terrain Vehicles, and aftermarket parts packages that include Basic Issue items (35 LLO), Authorized Stockage (14 LO), Prescribed Load (14 LO), and Battle Damage and Repairs (14 LO). This brings total announced M-ATV orders to $2.31 billion for 4,296 vehicles. Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion of May 31/12. Five bids were solicited, with 5 bids received by TACOM, AMSCC-TAC-ADCA in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-D-0111). See also Oshkosh release. July 31/09: Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, WI receives another M-ATV order, raising its total to $2.12 billion for 3,924 vehicles. They also announce that Oshkosh has exceeded the July 2009 delivery schedule of 45 M-ATVs by delivering 46. The $1.064 billion firm-fixed-price contract modification exercises an option for another 1,700 M-ATVs, Field Service Representative Support, and associated parts support packages to include Authorized Stockage Lists (ASL), Prescribed Load List (PLL), Reprocessing Spares, Battle Damage Repair parts (BDR) and Basic Issue Items (BII). Vehicles will be provided to the US Marine Corps, Army, Special Operations Command and US military testing. Vehicles and parts support packages will be fielded to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Field Service Representatives will be providing support in Kuwait and Afghanistan. Work is to be performed in McConnellsburg, PA, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2010. U.S. Army TACOM LCMC in Warren, MI manages this contract (W56HZV-09-D-0111, delivery order #0002, modification 02). June 30/09: Oshkosh Corporation. in Oshkosh, WI receives a $1.056 billion firm-fixed price delivery order (W56HZV-09-D-0111, #002) for of 2,244 MRAP All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs), Basic Issue Items, Field Service Representative Support, Equipment, Engineering, Authorized Stocking List Parts Packages and Prescribed Load List parts packages. The US Army Tank Automotive Command in Warren, MI manages this contract. Stars and Stripes reports that the first M-ATV vehicles will be fielded to Afghanistan beginning in October 2009. The challenge will be getting them there. US Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, head of Marine Corps Systems Command: "We are flowing additional forces into Afghanistan right now, Army brigade combat teams as well as Marines units, and so the air bridge into Afghanistan is completely full." While the military sorts out its transport options, Oshkosh Chairman & CEO Robert G. Bohn issued an unequivocal statement, and an implicit offer to other firms: "Due to the urgent need of our Armed Forces for a survivable and highly mobile vehicle, our Corporations number one priority is meeting the Department's accelerated delivery schedule of the Oshkosh M-ATV. Oshkosh Corporation will put whatever resources are necessary to meet or exceed the government's delivery schedule. While we believe we can meet or exceed the government's current delivery requirements, we intend to enter into discussions with other manufacturers [emphasis DID's] to determine if they can assist in the production of the Oshkosh M-ATV. ...our full-service aftermarket support network will be available with replacement parts, technical support, and repair or refurbishment services." Oshkosh Corporation is expected to eventually produce up to 1,000 vehicles a month, and plans to reach that monthly mark by December 2009. Efforts began even before the contract award. Oshkosh Defense President Andy Hove was quoted in Oshosh's release, saying that firm had already begun daily production of Oshkosh M-ATVs on their flexible manufacturing line, a few weeks prior to the decision, after making "significant" investments in materials. Subsequent discussions with Oshkosh clarified that unusual step, and the thinking behind it. Andy Hove: "As I said, our top priority is the delivery these vehicles to the Soldiers and Marines who need them. But we also knew that there would be a market for our offering should it not have been selected. Additionally, the early M-ATV production was a part of our pre-award production and engineering investments. We felt it was crucial to do what we could, in advance of a possible award, to ensure these vehicles would be delivered to the warfighters in Afghanistan as soon as possible. We also had conducted more than 7,500 miles of independent testing of our vehicle, separate from the government's evaluation of our production-representative vehicles." See also: US Marine Corps | Oshkosh release | DoD Buzz | Stars and Stripes | UPI | York Daily Record . June 30/09: Navistar and Force Protection both announce their disappointment at their M-ATV loss, while reiterating their firms' strong points for investors. June 2/09: The Pentagon's Joint Requirements Oversight Council approves a plan for 5,244 M-ATVs to the US Army (2,598), Marine Corps (1,565), Special Operations Command (643), US Air Force (280) and the Navy (65). An additional 93 vehicles would be set aside for testing. Source. May 4/09: The Force Dynamics partnership announces their delivery of 3 additional production M-ATV Cheetah vehicles to the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test and Evaluation Center. The release adds that Force Dynamics, LLC and Raytheon have agreed to provide a comprehensive command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system (C4ISR) plug-and-play ready architecture for the M-ATV Cheetah, using the C4ISR Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF). It provides immediate access to services including sophisticated radio switching, networked video, navigation systems, Blue Force Tracking, Counter-Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare, and weapons systems. Under the original MRAP program, vehicles required extensive modifications, integration, and testing to fully integrate various C4SIR configurations. This new architecture is designed to make that process much simpler. The system is also designed to assist with remote monitoring of integrated vehicle and C4ISR systems via one monitoring platform, to offer complete systems status in real time. Remote data transfer, monitoring of platform usage, and capture of failure information are all part of that element, and each M-ATV Cheetah is registered in Raytheon's Force Logistics System II, which is electronically integrated to the DoD's current force support systems. May 1/09: BAE Systems' entries pass initial testing, as it receives a follow-on contract for 3 more GTS M-ATVs and 3 more USCS M-ATV test vehicles of each type. Other firms that have passed testing and received orders for 3 more vehicles include Force Protection's Cheetah, Navistar's Husky, and Oshkosh's entry. April 2/09: Navistar Defense, LLC is in discussions with the government over a technicality in the evaluation of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) program. Navistar was required to formalize its request for a review of the evaluation within a certain period of time, and wants its vehicle to be considered for M-ATV. Navistar release. March 11/09: A Bloomberg report quotes General Dynamics spokesman Ken Yamashita, who said that their M-ATV offer, based on its RG-31 partnership with BAE, "was not accepted…. He didn't say why, and Pentagon spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin said she couldn't comment." That failure still leaves GDLS in contention, via the Force Dynamics partnership's Cheetah vehicle. March 6/09: Oshkosh Defense announces a $1 million contract with the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) for government purchase of the 2 production-ready Oshkosh M-ATVs that were delivered on Feb. 23rd. This contract award is one of the required phases in the U.S. military's evaluation of M-ATV submissions, and is awarded after the delivered vehicles are certified to meet the government's initial design requirements. All other M-ATV candidates also receive these awards, with 1 exception (see March 11/09). Feb 23/09: M-ATV candidate vehicles are due from vendors for 2 months of testing and evaluation. Several of them announce deliveries on this day: BAE Systems, Force Protection ($1 million contract), Navistar, and Oshkosh. Feb 19/09: An Oshkosh release claims that its M-ATV team can produce the military's most probable delivery order of 2,080 M-ATVs "within months of an awarded contract." The Oshkosh team says that it is able to produce several hundred to 1,000 M-ATVs on a monthly basis, and Oshkosh Defense President John Stoddart adds that: "Oshkosh's warm production lines coupled with our mature M-ATV design allow us to ramp up production of this vehicle without impacting our current military programs." Of course, the same is true for competitors like BAE and Navistar, both of whom have MRAP production lines that are closing out, and substantial military truck production lines that continue to run. Jan 15/09: Force Protection, Inc. and General Dynamics Land Systems Inc.'s Force Dynamics, LLC joint venture has focused on delivering Cougar MRAP vehicles, but Force Protection's Cheetah vehicle had been excluded – until now. The joint venture announces that it has submitted the Cheetah for the U.S. Army's MRAP All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) solicitation. The Cheetah began development in 2005 has completed Force Protection-sponsored blast testing at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD, and initial mobility and durability testing at the Nevada Automotive Test Center. It has undergone a range of enhancements since it was first developed, including the addition of independent suspension. Force Protection is commencing low-rate production at Force Protection's Ladson, SC plant. Jan 9/09: Oshkosh Corporation submits its M-ATV proposal, based on the combat-proven Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) medium truck chassis. The firm has produced about 10,000 of these trucks for the US Marine Corps, which have been deployed all over the world. Oshkosh release. Nov 14/08: The US government issues a pre-solitication notice for a subsidiary competition called M-ATV, essentially an "MRAP Lite" bridge buy to the JLTV. FBO pre-solicitation #W56HZV-09-R-0115 states a buy that begins an an expected order of just 2,080 vehicles, but could reach up to 10,000. M-ATV's top weight is just 12.5 tons empty, which is heavier than a Hummer or JLTV, but lighter than an MRAP. Even so, the RFP still demands significant protection against both conventional and EFP land mines. A draft issued on Nov 25/08 stated that M-ATV would receive the same top-priority DX production rating employed by the original MRAP program, adding that the first vehicles are expected to be fielded in the fall of 2009. Additional Readings
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| UPDATE 1-Dual-listed Antonov plans to delist from AIM - Reuters Posted: 24 Nov 2009 01:10 AM PST * Sees no benefit from dual listing * Gets 1-yr UK Government project * Shares rise 5 pct (Adds details) Nov 24 (Reuters) - Dual-listed automotive transmission products maker Antonov Plc (ATV.L) said it is planning to delist from the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange, given the limited liquidity in trading. Autonov, which is also listed on the Euronext Amsterdam, said there was little point in maintaining the dual listing as it did not provide any additional significant benefit and led to costs of about 500,000 pounds ($826,600) a year. The company said about 94 percent of its shares were held through Euroclear Nominees Ltd and Euroclear Nederland, and almost all trading actively occurred on Euronext Amsterdam. Separately, Antonov said it received a one-year project from the UK Government's Technology Strategy Board to develop a high efficiency 2-speed transmission for use in electric vehicles in partnership with UK car maker Jaguar and product engineering, testing and consultancy company MIRA. The company said it will realise an initial engineering turnover of about 200,000 pounds. Antonov shares were up 5 percent at 52.5 pence at 0847 GMT on Tuesday on the London Stock Exchange. ($1=.6049 Pound) (Reporting by Kumar Alagappan in Bangalore; Editing by Deepak Kannan) ((kumar.alagappan@thomsonreuters.com; +91 80 4135 5800; Reuters Messaging: kumar.alagappan@thomsonreuters.com)) © Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
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