bobdina
09-07-2009, 02:16 AM
The new M-ATVs — which will start reaching troops in Afghanistan next month — are meant to be light enough to go off-road while maintaining the V-shaped hull that provides protection against blasts from underneath. They also have an independent suspension system that will allow them to go off road into areas that conventional MRAPs cannot venture.
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.
It is a lighter, more maneuverable and off-road capable alternative to current MRAPs used in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of operation.
The M-ATV is needed to provide the same type of protection expected of the MRAP while offering additional mobility, top Pentagon officials have said. MRAPs have struggled with the rocky terrain in Afghanistan.
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.
The Oshkosh M-ATV features the company’s TAK-4® independent suspension system as a base platform to provide a vehicle with a 70 percent off-road mission profile. The Oshkosh M-ATV’s 16-inch wheel travel and enhanced load-carrying capabilities provide a distinct advantage by allowing Oshkosh’s vehicle to excel in off-road environments. While the TAK-4 suspension serves more than 10,000 Oshkosh MTVRs, the company recently received a contract to equip another manufacturer’s fielded MRAPs with the advanced TAK-4 suspension system.
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.”
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.
It is a lighter, more maneuverable and off-road capable alternative to current MRAPs used in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of operation.
The M-ATV is needed to provide the same type of protection expected of the MRAP while offering additional mobility, top Pentagon officials have said. MRAPs have struggled with the rocky terrain in Afghanistan.
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.
The Oshkosh M-ATV features the company’s TAK-4® independent suspension system as a base platform to provide a vehicle with a 70 percent off-road mission profile. The Oshkosh M-ATV’s 16-inch wheel travel and enhanced load-carrying capabilities provide a distinct advantage by allowing Oshkosh’s vehicle to excel in off-road environments. While the TAK-4 suspension serves more than 10,000 Oshkosh MTVRs, the company recently received a contract to equip another manufacturer’s fielded MRAPs with the advanced TAK-4 suspension system.
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.”