Canada awarded General Dynamics [GD] a $309 million contract amendment to upgrade its army’s 141 Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) III fleet, the company said Feb. 10.
The LAV III upgrade will move the vehicles to the LAV 6.0 configuration due to lessons the Canadian Army learned in Afghanistan with substantial inputs from the Canadian government. Upgrades include the double-V hull, protection and mobility enhancements, onboard vetronics, and capacity for future growth and modularity.
GD said the upgrades will enhance the performance and survivability of the vehicles, ensure consistency and availability of equipment for training and deployments, and reduce long-term maintenance costs by having a fleet of vehicles in mostly one configuration.
Canada awarded GD’s Land Systems-Canada business unit an initial $813 million contract in 2011 to incorporate a comprehensive upgrade package into 550 of the Canadian army’s 550 LAV IIIs and extend their lives to 2035.
GD said the contract amendment will sustain about 250 jobs in advanced manufacturing in the London, Ontario region in Canada while also benefiting the company’s supplier network in the country.
“We are committed to delivering highly protected, flexible and capable vehicles to our soldiers and the LAV 6.0 provides the Canadian army with best-in-class protection and mobility. This announcement is welcome news to the London area and to our suppliers across Canada whose jobs will be sustained with this additional work,” Danny Deep, vice president of General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, said in a statement.