As part of a Canadian project to strengthen domestic operations, Navistar Defense this week said it received a $231 million contract to provide the Department of National Defence with Military Commercial off the Shelf (MILCOTS) vehicles.

“MILCOTS vehicles provide a strong area of growth for Navistar,” Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense, said. “While our militarized commercial off the shelf trucks are built to help effectively perform various missions, our existing Canadian dealer network will provide quick parts and maintenance support for domestic missions.”

The vehicles are the first element of Canada’s Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS) project, which will invest in medium sized logistics trucks to support domestic operations and sustain deployed forces.

The award will provide up to 1,300 vehicles and utilize the Canadian organization and dealer network of Navistar Canada for training, delivery, parts and maintenance support. It is the first Canadian military contract to date.

Navistar said the award positions the company well for future opportunities under MSVS such as the replacement of Standard Military Pattern (SMP) medium lift trucks and trailers. As part of the MSVS project, SMP replacement is estimated to be more than 1,500 units.

The MILCOTS order will allow the Canadian military to customize vehicle variants based off the InternationalWorkStar platform.

Optional upgrades and additional military components will let Canada further tailor its vehicles for domestic mission use. Under the multi-year contract, six vehicle variants will be provided including General Troop Transporters, ISO (International Organization for Standardization) container transporters, as well as additional equipment such as augers and cranes.