BAE Systems has received six contracts worth $115 million from the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command for replacement parts, including complete engines, transmissions, axles and self-recovery winches, for Caiman Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.
This order fulfills urgent requirements for spare parts to maintain approximately 1,650 Caiman MRAP vehicles operating in Iraq.
“The Army’s request for sustainment spare parts helps maintain the assets needed to keep vehicles in the fight and meet theater demand,” Chris Chambers, vice president of Medium/Heavy vehicles for BAE, said.
Replacement parts are ordered and received from the original equipment manufacturers who supply parts for the Caiman production line vehicles.
The completed engines are comprised of the Caterpillar [CAT] engine, which has accessory parts such as alternators, starters, and hoses installed at BAE’s Sealy, Texas, facility.
BAE then preserves, marks and packages the parts to military specifications before shipping to Red River Army Depot (RRAD) in Texarkana, Texas. RRAD sends the parts to Iraq to fill MRAP repair part orders from the various Army units. The work will be completed by August 2009.
“This work ensures the proper sustainment parts are included to keep the vehicles operating,” Shane Burns, Caiman project manager at BAE, said. “The Caiman has a 95 percent operational readiness rate and these items are helping to maintain that rate now and improve it. Every item on this contract, with exception of rear axle, is currently needed in Iraq.”
BAE has hired an additional 20 employees in its Sealy facility to help fulfill the orders. The additional employees will contribute an estimated $1.66 million in generated business and income to the greater Houston area for the year.
Caiman production ceased Nov. 20 (Defense Daily, Nov. 26). The 22-month production run saw deliveries of 2,862 Caiman vehicles. The vehicle was developed in 2006 to protect ground forces from RPGs, IEDs and explosively formed projectiles The first production contracts were awarded in 2007.
BAE is the exclusive manufacturer of the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles and is the producer of three Mine Resistant Ambush Protected variants, the Caiman, the RG33 and the RG31.