March 2009 Worldwide army military Defence industries industry exhibition news equipment armoured wo

General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc., Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Mar. 5, 2009, a $33,182,318 a no fee cost contract for material for the Iraq program to purchase 140 M1A1 Abrams vehicles, with an estimated completion dates of Sept. 1, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid received. TACOM Contracting Commands, Warren, AMSCC-TAC-AHLC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-G-0006).
19 March 2009

The first batch of the new Ridgback protected vehicles are currently being tested by the Army, and are expected to be going to work in Afghanistan later this year. Lighter and more agile than the Mastiff Armoured Fighting Vehicle, the Ridgback, though very similar, is nearly two metres shorter but, crucially, a metre slimmer than its big brother, allowing troops greater access and mobility within built-up environments. While manoeuvrability is its special feature, it is passenger-protection that remains paramount. Ridgback is mine and IED (improvised explosive device) strike-proofed to the same level as a Mastiff 2; just as heavily armoured but nine tonnes lighter. Among the upgrades fitted at Coventry, Ridgback incorporates an impressive electronics pack including Bowman communications, electronic countermeasures, night vision and thermal imaging. The multi-camera feeds to the TV screens inside give the crew impressive situational awareness from within the vehicle. Some vehicles will be fitted with a remote weapons system allowing the crew to operate Ridgback's weapons via a camera and joystick from inside the vehicle.
18 March 2009

A comprehensive rearmament of Russia's Armed Forces will begin in 2011, President Dmitry Medvedev said. He said that the current military-political situation in the world calls for a thorough modernization of the Russian Armed Forces, primarily its strategic nuclear forces. The president reiterated that "despite the current financial difficulties, Russia has never had better favorable conditions to create modern and highly efficient armed forces." Medvedev also said that the Russian Security Council would soon endorse a national security strategy for the period up to 2020. The president announced last year that Russia would make the modernization of its nuclear deterrent and Armed Forces a priority in light of the August military conflict with Georgia. Russia's military expenditure has been steadily growing recently, and the country reportedly plans to increase the current defense budget of $40 billion by 50% in the next three years. Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Tuesday that the share of modern weaponry in the Russian Armed Forces would reach 30% by 2015, and would total 70% by 2020.
17 March 2009

The 18th CBRN Defence Battalion Reconnaissance Company for the First Time Attends Field Training Using Light Reconnaissance Vehicles 'Cobra'. A Slovenian Army Cobra light reconnaissance vehicle seen during its first operational training operation in early March. From 2 to 6 March, female and male members of the Reconnaissance Company of the 18th Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Battalion attended the field training using the ten new light reconnaissance vehicles Cobra 4x4, taken over at the Kranj Military Post on Friday, 27 February.
17 March 2009

Russia will put a regiment of new-generation intercontinental ballistic missiles into service in December, the Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) commander said on Tuesday. "After December 5, 2009, when START-1 expires, Russia will put a regiment of RS-24 missiles into service," Col. Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov said. He also said the SMF would conduct at least eight missile test launches, including space launches, in 2009. Solovtsov said the next launch was scheduled for April 10. The commander said earlier that RS-24 ICBMs, with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) warheads, would help bolster the SMF's ability to overpower missile defense systems, "thus strengthening the nuclear deterrence potential of the Russian nuclear triad." The SMF reportedly has a total of 538 ICBMs, including 306 SS-25 Topol (Sickle) missiles and 56 SS-27 Topol-M missiles.
17 March 2009

The Collective Force Rapid Intervention organization of the Treaty of collective security (OTSC: Armenia, Bielorussia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Ouzbekistan, Russia and Tadjikistan) will organize military exercises in Kazakhstan in September 2009,said Russian Ministry of Defense Anatoli Serdioukov. The collective Force Rapid Intervention will have the role of pushing back an armed aggression, to fight international terrorism and extremism, to repress the organized transnational crime and the drug trafficking, to manage the consequences of the natural and technical disasters.
17 March 2009

The second regiment equipped with advanced S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems has been put into combat service in Russia, the defense minister said on Tuesday. In 2007, Russia successfully conducted live firing tests of the S-400 air defense complex at the Kapustin Yar firing range in south Russia's Astrakhan Region, and deployed the first missile regiment equipped with the new system to protect the airspace surrounding Moscow and industrial zones in the center of Russia's European territory. The S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) air defense system is expected to form the new cornerstone of Russia's theater air and missile defenses up to 2020 or even 2025. The S-400 is designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), twice the range of the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot, and 2.5 times that of the S-300PMU-2. The system is also believed to be able to destroy stealth aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, with an effective range of up to 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) and a speed of up to 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) per second. A regular S-400 battalion comprises at least eight launchers with 32 missiles and a mobile command post, according to various sources. The new state arms procurement program until 2015 stipulates the purchase of enough S-400 air defense systems to arm 18 battalions during this period.
17 March 2009

Czech deputy defence minister Martin Bartak today signed a contract on the supply of 107 Pandur II armoured personnel carriers (APC) from the Austrian firm Steyr to the Czech military with representatives of the General Dynamics group, of which Steyr is part. The price of the order, including logistics and training, is 14.4 billion crowns. The Czech military will receive the first Pandurs this year, and the last in 2013. General Dynamics is represented in the Czech Republic by the Defendia CZ company whose executive Juraj Urban signed the contract on behalf of the concern. General Dynamics European Land Systems President John Ulrich was also present. The total value of the offset programme would be over 18 billion crowns. Some 40 percent of them would be direct offsets, that is orders connected with the military equipment production. The first 17 Pandurs are ready and they should be supplied in mid-2009. The Czech military wanted a total of 72 APCs in the standard version, 11 in commander's version, 16 Pandurs in two forms of the reconnaissance version and four in modifications for health care and engineering purposes. Czech Defence Industry Association president Jiri Hynek told CTK today that Czechs companies would gain some 4000 jobs thanks to the completion of APCs. In 2007 the current government of Mirek Topolanek decided to withdraw from the contract after Steyr failed to keep the contract conditions. In January 2008, Steyr was given one more chance to supply a lower number of APCs, however.
15 March 2009

Madagascar's opposition leader Andry Rajoelina addresses his supporters during a rally in Antananarivo March 14, 2009. Rajoelina emerged from hiding on Saturday to tell thousands of his supporters he was giving President Marc Ravalomanana four hours to step down. Madagascan soldiers gather outside Defence Minister Mamy Ranaivoniarivo's office in the capital Antananarivo.
14 March 2009

The American Dynamics Flight Systems' AD-150, the next generation of high speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) and Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) military aircraft, which is being designed and tested for use by the U.S. Marines is seen in this prototype undated handout image released to Reuters March 12, 2009. The aircraft will be approximately 14.5 feet (4.4 meters) in length with a wingspan of approximately 17.5 feet (5.3 meters).
13 March 2009

Government troops of the armor unit of 103rd Brigade Philippine Army patrol in the hinterlands of Piagapo, Muslim rebel influenced town of Lanao del Sur province in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on March 12, 2009. The military continue its pursuit operation against Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas responsible the August 2008 attacks in several towns of Mindanao that left over half a million people displaced, and scores of civilians dead and after the courts stopped a proposed land deal that would have given the MILF control over a large area of territory.
12 March 2009

On April 2/07, BB&T Capital Markets upgraded EDO Corporation to “buy,” in part because they thought EDO was well positioned to win a part of the $200-$500 million Counter- Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare (CREW) contracts going forward. Those contracts appear to have come through, with awards for the system EDO now calls the CVRJ (CREW Vehicle Receiver/Jammer). The Pentagon refers to Spiral 2.1 Vehicle Mounted CREW systems, which are one element of the DoD’s Joint Counter RCIED Electronic Warfare program. CREW systems are vehicle mounted electronic jammers designed to prevent the remote detonation of land mines. These are often triggered by off-the-shelf technology like cell phones, in order to avoid visible wires. EDO makes the Warlock jammer, a derivative of its earlier “Shortstop” product. As the USA buys and fields more mine-resistant MRAP vehicles, IED jammers like the CVRJ and “Lockheed’s” Symphony are a natural accompaniment. A fact that should make EDO’s new owner ITT very happy – and has, thanks to a $1+ billion contract that continues to attract large delivery orders.
12 March 2009

French President Nicolas Sarkozy officially announced Wednesday that France would rejoin NATO's military command more than four decades after leaving it. President Sarkozy's announcement was widely expected this week, after the French leader broadly hinted for months that Paris would be fully rejoining the NATO command. Former French leader, General Charles de Gaulle, had withdrawn from the military command in the 1960s, concerned that France would lose its military independence to rising superpower, the United States. But in remarks at a defence seminar in Paris, Mr. Sarkozy stressed France had nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by rejoining the military command. The French President said a rapprochement with NATO will increase France's national independence. Not fully being part of the Atlantic alliance, he said, only serves to increase its dependence and limit its margin of maneuver. He said France will be stronger and more influential.
12 March 2009

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co.KG (KMW) and through-life support partner BAE Systems Australia are featuring the Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH) capabilities for Land 17 at this week’s Australian International Air Show in Avalon. The Land 17 Artillery Replacement Programme will fundamentally change the Australian Army’s indirect fire support capability through a system of systems architecture. Fielding of the KMW PzH 2000 for the Land 17 SPH capability package will provide a versatile, safe, combat proven, networked, autonomous and PGM certified precision weapon system.
12 March 2009

Force Dynamics, LLC, a joint venture between Force Protection, Inc. and General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, today announced that it was awarded a contract for two Cheetah light weight, high mobility Production Representative Vehicles (PRVs) as part of the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) program. The value of the award is $1 million. The two vehicles were delivered on February 23rd and met the government’s initial requirements. The Cheetah vehicle, which has been in development since late 2005, previously successfully passed testing to MRAP I survivability levels and has undergone initial mobility and durability testing at the U.S. Army’s Nevada Automotive Test Center. The strong partnership between Force Protection and General Dynamics Land Systems as well as a strong suite of OEMs and partners will allow Force Dynamics to successfully execute on the aggressive procurement schedule required to deliver this urgently needed survivability solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. Together, Force Protection and General Dynamics have successfully delivered over 3,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Category I and Category II vehicles under the MRAP program. Force Protection has commenced low-rate production of the Cheetah at its Ladson, South Carolina, facility and Force Dynamics has begun to procure long-lead materials to move from limited to extended production of Cheetah vehicles. Force Protection, Inc. is a leading American designer, developer and manufacturer of survivability solutions, predominantly ballistic- and blast-protected wheeled vehicles currently deployed by the U.S. military and its allies to support armed forces and security personnel in conflict zones. The company’s specialty vehicles, the Cougar, the Buffalo and the Cheetah, are designed specifically for reconnaissance and urban operations and to protect their occupants from landmines, hostile fire, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs, commonly referred to as roadside bombs).
11 March 2009

Russian T-72 heavy battle tanks from Kuwait's Armored Brigade, parade in Subhan, 40 kilometers east of Kuwait City, during a Kuwait Defense Ministry air show, Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Kuwait International Airport suspended all commercial air traffic for two hours during the parade, in which different kinds of military aircraft and helicopters took part on the occasion of celebrating National and Liberation Day.
11 March 2009

A missile battalion equipped with mobile Topol-M (SS-27 Stalin) ICBMs has been put on combat duty in central Russia, a spokesman for the Russian Missile Forces (SMF) said on Tuesday. The first two Topol-M mobile missile battalions, equipped with six road-mobile systems, had already been put on combat duty with the 54th Strategic Missile Division near the town of Teikovo, about 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Moscow. "Another missile battalion equipped with mobile Topol-M missile systems and comprising three launchers and a command unit has been put on combat duty with the Teikovo missile division in the Ivanovo Region," Col. Alexander Vovk said.
10 March 2009

Belarus and Russia will stage a large-scale strategic military exercise in the fall, the Belarusian defense minister said on Tuesday. The drill, called Zapad 2009 (West 2009), will involve around 13,000 service personnel on both sides. Leonid Maltsev said the Russian military would contribute "Ground Forces, Air Force, Air Defense Forces and reconnaissance units." He added that the drill would, among other things, rehearse interoperability within the framework of the Belarusian-Russian integrated air defense system, which the two countries agreed to establish recently.
10 March 2009

The Macedonian government is prepared to purchase 200 BTR 4 "Bukefal," armored personnel carriers (APCs) from Ukraine's Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau, according to reports in Interfax. While the Macedonian Defense Ministry was not able to completely verify Interfax's account, a spokesperson did confirm that an APC purchase will be forthcoming in the near future. The size of the reported order, however, is sure to draw criticism, since the Macedonian Army needs no more than 110 APCs to fill outs its ranks as the country tries to gain acceptance into the NATO Alliance. In order to comply with NATO requirements, Macedonia will procure 30 new APCs by the end of 2009, with a total of 80 in service by year-end 2015. The Finnish Patria AMV, the Austrian Steyr Pandur, and the Swiss MOWAG Piranha are all preferred options at the moment. The BTR-4 is modeled after the Russian BTR-80, 12 of which the Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM) currently has in its service.
10 March 2009

The current Land 106 project will upgrade 431 M113 vehicles to improve armour protection, mobility, firepower and habitability. The Australian Government provided second pass approval for the project in June 2002 to upgrade 350 vehicles, and a contract was signed with Tenix Defence (now BAE Systems Australia Defence Pty Ltd (BAESAD)) on 15 July 2002. Technical problems between 2002 and 2006 delayed completion of vehicle testing and the planned date for initial introduction into service was moved from December 2006 to November 2007, placing pressure on the overall project schedule. The vehicles began reliability testing in February 2007 and the testing was concluded on 11 May 2007. 43 of the production vehicles have now been accepted from Tenix/BAESAD and another 16 vehicles are on the production line. BAESAD is preparing its marine facilities in Williamstown, Victoria and its site at Wingfield, South Australia as additional locations for hull conversion to accelerate production. The upgraded vehicle is one of the best protected light armoured vehicles around the world. The armour protection has been developed after extensive research by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO). This represents a marked improvement in protection over the original M113 vehicle.
06 March 2009

France plans to open a military base in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, a leading French newspaper reported on Thursday. According to Le Monde, the United Arab Emirates has long been in favor of a French base on its territory. However, former President Jacques Chirac's presidential administration was pushing for bases in French-speaking African countries. The military base will be created under a 1995 agreement between France and the U.A.E. on defense and strategic cooperation. It is expected that some 450 French military personnel will be based at the military installation. Citing an unnamed diplomat, Le Monde said that the United Arab Emirates "has for a long time needed to stand out from its neighbors and not depend only on the United States." The newspaper said the Emirates is France's largest buyer of weapons. France already has two bases in the Indian Ocean, on the island of Reunion and in Djibouti, and the opening of a third base is in line with France's changes in its strategic priorities, outlined in a new doctrine of national security, called the White Book, that President Nicolas Sarkozy introduced last summer.
05 March 2009

Kazakhstan has signed a contract with Russia on the purchase of S-300 air defense missile systems, the Kazakh defense minister said on Wednesday. Last month, Kazakhstan announced plans to equip 10 battalions with S-300 air defense missile systems bought from Russia, with deliveries to begin in 2009. The missile system S-300 is considered one of the world's most effective all-altitude regional air defense systems, comparable in performance to the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot system. Russia announced last year it was planning to expand military-technical cooperation with members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and set up an integrated air defense network with them. The CSTO is a post-Soviet security grouping comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Akhmetov said in mid-February that the delivery of S-300 systems "would help the republic's integration into the CSTO and significantly enhance the protection of the country's airspace."
04 March 2009

Nexter Systems (a Giat Industries company) held its board meeting on Wednesday, 4th of March, to close Nexter Group consolidated accounts for the 2008 financial year.
- TURNOVER: 579 M euros;
- OPERATING PROFITS: 71 M euros (12.3% of turnover)
- ORDERS IN HAND: 1.895 M euros (approx. three years of activity)
Nexter Group orders taken during the 2008 financial year amount to 560 M euros (495 M euros in 2007). This 13% increase results, among other factors, from a wider product range (VBCI infantry combat vehicle, Caesar...) and from an increasing demand for support services in relation to equipment in service with the Armed Forces. Export orders amount to 70 M euros.
Nexter Group consolidated turnover for 2008 amounts to 579 M euros (587 M euros in 2007). This consolidated turnover reflects, as forecasted, a transitional year between the end of Leclerc deliveries and the beginning of production of new equipment to be delivered, among others, to the French Army (VBCI and Caesar).
For the third year running Nexter Group has achieved consolidated operating profits amounting to more than 10% of its turnover. This evidences a well established and continuous profitability. This results from an in-depth rationalization work carried out during the first half of the decade.
Nexter Group consolidated net profits amount to 99 M euros. These profits take into account a high level of expenditure allocated to research and development for new products (16% of consolidated turnover).
Nexter Group order backlog amounts to 1.895 M euros and represents approximately three years of activity.
04 March 2009

India has successfully tested the latest land attack version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile at a firing range in Pokhran in the Rajasthan Desert, a source in the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. The first successful test launch of the supersonic cruise missile from a vertical launcher was conducted last December from a mobile platform in the Bay of Bengal. All previous missile launches were carried out from inclined launchers. Analysts estimate that India could purchase up to 1,000 BrahMos missiles for its armed forces in the next decade, and export 2,000 to other countries during the same period. During a recent visit by Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov to India, the two sides agreed to develop a hypersonic version of the missile to be known as BrahMos-2.
04 March 2009

After several years of intense efforts and investments, Bin Jabr Group´s NIMR 4X4 vehicles began active operations when the first batch was delivered to the UAE Armed Forces in January. This high-mobility, multi-mission platform will successively equip various operational units from the logistic, signal, air defense and combat branches. As the first automotive industrial defense company in the whole middle east, Bin Jabr Group, emirates company, is planning to invest several million US dollars in building a second factory in Abu Dhabi in 2010.
04 March 2009

Textron Marine & Land Systems, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, has been awarded a $10.9 million contract modification by the United States Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to build an additional 15 Armored Security Vehicles (ASV). With the contract modification, TACOM is exercising an option in the existing contract. Since the inception of the program in 1999 a total of 2,667 ASVs have been contracted, with 1,922 vehicles delivered to date.
03 March 2009

Swedish arms exports jumped up 32 percent in 2008, with large purchases by five countries accounting for nearly 60 percent of total. According to an annual report by the Swedish Inspectorate for Strategic Products (ISP) released on Tuesday, Swedish defence companies sold 12.7 billion kronor ($1.4 billion) worth of weapons in 2008. Swedish arms manufacturers sold goods totaling 1.9 billion kronor to South Africa in 2008, making it the single largest purchaser of Swedish defence equipment last year. Exports to the Netherlands and Denmark each totaled 1.8 billion kronor, while sales to Greece came to 1.1 billion. Pakistan meanwhile purchased 846.4 million kronor worth of Swedish military equipment, while Swedish arms exports to India totaled 506.2 million kronor in 2008.
03 March 2009

According to the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, the Peruvian Army has finalized several equipment contracts over the last few weeks. Deals were signed for the purchase of 488 Israeli and Russian anti-tank missiles. The Army has had a requirement for such weapons for quite some time. The new equipment will replace the earlier-generation Sagger and Cobra 2000 missiles currently in inventory, as well as the aging Soviet 9M14M Malyutkas. Of the total amount to be procured, 244 will be Russian Kornet missiles and 244 will be Israeli Spike missiles. The systems will cost $25 million and $48 million, respectively. The acquisition of next generation weapons is part of the government's military modernization plan in which $650 million will be invested through 2011.
02 March 2009

The Czech cabinet has finally approved the purchase of 107 Steyr Daimler Puch Pandur II wheeled armored vehicles, after a three-year hiatus. (Steyr photo)Prague - The Czech government approved the purchase of 107 wheeled Pandur II armoured personnel carriers (APC) from Austrian firm Steyr, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has told journalists. He put the price at about 14.4 billion crowns (approx. $620 million). The purchase of the APCs has been talked about since 2003. The then government agreed with the purchase of 240 APCS in 2003. Steyr, which is part of General Dynamics, won the tender in 2006 and the agreed price exceeded 23.5 billion crowns. In 2007 the government decided to withdraw from the contract after Steyr failed to keep the contract conditions. In January 2008, Steyr was given one more chance to supply a lower number of APCs, however.
02 March 2009

Using an electronic control system, the LEGUAN® armoured bridge-layer from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW) lays a bridge, load category MLC 80 and 26 metres in length, in just five minutes. Even in the dark and with the hatches closed, the bridge system can be operated by a single person. In place of the 26-metre bridge, the LEGUAN® can now for the first time also lay two bridges, each 14 metres in length, as a result of which the possible applications of the LEGUAN® are considerably extended off-road. At the same time the system with its 1,500 PS engine is extremely mobile, despite its weight of 62.6 tonnes (LEOPARD 2), so it meets all the requirements for international deployments, including anti-mine protection.
02 March 2009

As one of the leading producers of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, Navistar Defense, LLC will compete to supply the next generation of MRAPs with a vehicle based on its International MXT vehicle platform. The company delivered two vehicles today to undergo testing in the U.S. military’s Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) program. “We are proud to submit a vehicle based on our MXT platform, which was designed to fill a gap that existed between smaller traditional armored 4x4’s and larger transport vehicles,” said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense. “By utilizing our existing commercial platform, we are able to rapidly advance our vehicle design and provide the military with a product that supports mission needs in Afghanistan.” While the company competes to provide the U.S. military with M-ATV vehicles specially designed for Afghanistan, Navistar is fielding a similar MXT-based vehicle with the United Kingdom for the same mission purpose in Afghanistan. As part of the United Kingdom’s Tactical Support Vehicle (TSV) program, Navistar’s vehicle will be called the Husky. The company was also selected in October as one of nine finalists to compete to replace the U.K.’s light tactical wheeled vehicle fleet in the highly-competitive Operational Utility Vehicle Systems (OUVS) program. Navistar will provide MXT based vehicles for testing and trials in 2009 to replace a portion of the army’s fleet, which includes Land Rover, Wolf, Reynolds Boughton RB-44 and Pinzgauer vehicles.
01 March 2009

Oshkosh Corporation, announced today that its Defense division delivered two production-representative MRAP All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV) to the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland for military evaluation. The mission-proven Oshkosh M-ATV meets the survivability and mobility requirements of the warfighter for Afghanistan. The U.S. Armed Services have an urgent need requirement for M-ATVs to be used in the harsh conditions of Afghanistan. The M-ATV contract has a potential award value of $2 billion. The Oshkosh M-ATV boasts commonality with the Department of Defense’s fleet of Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR), Palletized Load System (PLS), Logistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR) and current Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. The result is an Oshkosh vehicle that is mature, nondevelopmental and cost-effective for U.S. Armed Services, allowing for parts availability within the logistics system and probable, high readiness levels. To ensure superior protection and survivability, Oshkosh is partnered with Plasan North America to provide the Oshkosh M-ATV’s armor system, which is in place on 5,000 current MRAP vehicles and the Armored Cab MTVRs and has saved lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. The vehicle also will feature Oshkosh’s signature TAK-4 independent suspension system for exceptional off-road ride quality and durability to meet the essential mobility capability not available in the current MRAP fleet. Oshkosh pioneered all-wheel drive for off-road mobility over 90 years ago and continues to offer the best off-road mobility for tactical wheeled vehicles.
01 March 2009

Bangladesh's powerful army has reaffirmed its support for the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after a mutiny by paramilitary troops killed at least 80 people, mostly army officers. Army soldiers sit on an armoured personnel carrier inside the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters in Dhaka February 28, 2009.
01 March 2009