Navistar Defense has started work under a $177.7 million contract with the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) on a fleet of over two hundred new “go anywhere” vehicles that will greatly improve frontline troop protection.
Navistar Defense will build and support the new HUSKY vehicle. The medium protected support vehicle has been designed for a range of Afghanistan missions including transporting food, water and ammunition, and acting as a command vehicle at headquarters. Some vehicles will be fitted out as protected ambulances.
British firm Dytecna will carry out specified vehicle modifications and installation of various electronic and communication systems to ensure that HUSKY meets the British Army’s requirements.
“Getting the right vehicles and equipment to our Armed Forces has always been an absolute priority,” Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Quentin Davies said. “I am sure that Navistar will bring energy and commitment into delivering these much needed vehicles to our troops in good time.”
In the United States, Navistar Defense, one of the companies competing to build a new all-terrain Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (M-ATV), April 2 filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office March 30 regarding a “technicality” in the military’s evaluation process (Defense Daily, April 3).
Equipped with a machine gun, the new HUSKY protected support vehicle is designed to provide commanders with a highly mobile and flexible load carrying vehicle for the troops on operations.
Lt. Col. Nick Wills, Tactical Support Vehicle program manager in Defence Equipment and Support’s Protected Mobility Team, said,” The Husky vehicle provides a robust and very mobile protected support vehicle for operations. The design has picked up on many of the lessons from current operations.”
The first prototype is in the United Kingdom, and is ready for trials and integration, Wills said.
HUSKY will join its sister vehicles Wolfhound and Coyote as part of the $518 million Tactical Support Vehicle program announced last year which will buy more than 400 new armored support trucks to accompany existing patrols carrying the essential supplies such as water and ammunition.