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Defense Industry News - Nexter Systems
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Sunday,
December 18, 2011, 10:46 AM |
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| Nexter
Systems proposes VBCI vehicle for Close Combat Vehicle CCV program of Canadian
Army. |
Nexter
Systems wishes to confirm it has submitted two bids in
response to the Government of Canada’s Request for Proposals for
the Close Combat Vehicle (CCV) program. The first solution proposed
is the VBCI
25 equipped with a 25 mm one-man turret, which is based upon the vehicle
currently in use by the French Army. The second is the VBCI 30. It utilizes
the same platform, but is equipped with the 30mm
two man HITFIST turret manufactured by Oto Melara Finmeccanica.
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Nexter
Systems VBCI
armoured infantry combat vehicle is currently used in Afghanistan by French
Army |
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Both bid submissions are
based upon the combat-proven VBCI,
which is the only wheeled 8x8 platform, developed from its inception
as a combat vehicle designed to operate with tracked main battle tanks
(MBTs). Together, the two bids represent a significant commitment and
investment by Nexter to the CCV program to offer the widest choice of
capability to the Canadian Forces. Both vehicles are undergoing rigorous
testing in evaluation trials at the Aberdeen Test Center, Maryland USA.
“We believe we have an absolutely superb product to offer the
Canadian Army,” said Patrick Lier, Vice President Sales &
Business Development North America. “This is a state of the art
military platform which provides substantially enhanced protection for
soldiers from various threats, and most importantly, from improvised
explosive devices which have claimed the lives of so many soldiers in
recent years,” he added.
“Overall,” said Lier, “the VBCI
offers the best combination of mobility and firepower at an affordable
cost without any compromise in protection " The fact that it is
a wheeled vehicle means its life-cycle costs are significantly lower
than similar tracked vehicles, not forgetting the basic aspects of crew
comfort.” He added that “importantly, the maturity of the
VBCI platform removes much of the program risk and uncertainty associated
with the procurement of new and unproven vehicles. "
Nexter
has delivered more than 300 vehicles out of a total of 630 ordered by
the French Army. The VBCI
is currently in service in Afghanistan as part of the NATO combat mission
and in Lebanon on UN peacekeeping duty, where it has shown its robustness
in terms of operational availability and security following hazardous
IED attacks.
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"Nexter has attached great importance to fulfilling
the IRB obligations required to deliver the CCV program in Canada which
require that 100 percent of the value of the contract be spent in Canada.
Indeed, Nexter sourcing teams have been busy for more than two years initially
identifying over two hundred potential suppliers. As the process advanced,
more than one hundred were visited and of these over thirty were formally
consulted and now form the core of our bid."
Various Canadian companies are part of the Nexter
proposal across all regions of Canada. They include prominent ones such
as Bombardier Transport North America, which has the capability to conduct
the complete build and assembly of the vehicle, Prevost Bus as suppliers
of the power pack and driveline, and Raytheon Canada, which will provide
in-service support. Nexter has also registered Nexter Canada Incorporated
(NCI), based in Ottawa. NCI will be the business platform and program
office to lead the delivery of CCV.
“We at Nexter
are also very excited about the potential industrial opportunities and
partnerships that are part of our bid,” said Lier. “While
French firms, including Nexter’s predecessor Giat Industries, have
sold equipment to the Canadian Forces before, this is the first time a
French defence company has submitted a bid on a major Canadian Army combat
vehicle program. We see tremendous possibilities to expand areas of research
and development, technology transfer and support. Our objective is to
have Canadian companies as part of Nexter’s “global value
chain.”
Nexter
has a proven track record of delivering quality equipment and following
up with long-term product support. The French Ministry of Defence recently
recognised VBCI as one of their top 10 performing programs citing on time
delivery and consistent high quality. “We are totally committed
to Canada’s CCV program,” said Lier. “The Nexter team
is ready to work closely with the Canadian Government to ensure the men
and women of the Canadian Army have a close combat vehicle capable |
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