Northrop Grumman [NOC] unveiled its entry yesterday for U.S. Special Operations Command’s (SOCOM) Ground Mobility Vehicle 1.1 competition at the Association of the United States Army trade show in downtown Washington.
The bid, the Medium Assault Vehicle-Light (MAV-L), is developed by Northrop Grumman, Britain’s BAE Systems and Pratt & Miller Engineering. BAE is a leader in vehicle design, manufacturing and through-life support of military-wheeled vehicles and associated systems, according to Northrop Grumman statement. Pratt & Miller Engineering provides clients with innovative, high-performing engineering and manufacturing solutions in fields such as defense, automotive, motorsports and powersports.
“Pratt & Miller has a proven, low-risk manufacturing plan through the utilization of the BAE Systems’ Sealy, Texas, plant, which has produced tens of thousands of high-quality tactical vehicles,” Frank Sturek, Northrop Grumman deputy director of land forces sustainment and MAV-L program manager, said yesterday.
The GMV 1.1 competition is to replace the current SOCOM-specific land vehicles based on the Humvee. The command is interested in a more agile vehicle that offers more protection, armaments and C4ISR and communications capability. SOCOM’s GMV 1.1 program includes plans to acquire up to 1,300 vehicles for SOCOM missions with requirements for air transportability, weapons capabilities and high mobility (Defense Daily, June 18).
The MAV-L is modular, transports up to seven operators and is air transportable in a MH/CH-47 Chinook helicopter, which is developed by Boeing [BA]. The vehicle is built specifically for SOCOM forces and is designed to function worldwide on any battlefield, according to a company statement. Sturek said MAV-L also fits inside a CH-53 helicopter. The CH-53 is developed by Sikorsky, a division of United Technologies Corp. [UTX].
“I think you’ll see this solution meets all their requirements: Mission, technical, affordability, production, demands in terms of schedule, and of course, all the operational support requirements,” Tom Vice, Northrop Grumman corporate vice president for technical services, said yesterday in remarks.
“What this vehicle allows you to do is not travel on the roads,” Sturek said. “With an 18 to 22 inch suspension travel, you don’t have to stay restricted to roads or even trails. You can still move at a fairly good clip.”
Sturek said two weeks ago in testing at Camp Grayling Air and National Guard Training Center, Mich., he had MAV-L reach 67 miles per hour on a “regular, two-thin trail” and “over 30 miles per hour” off-road. Sturek said the objective standard off-road is 22 mph. Sturek also said there is an “Arctic kit,” which allows the vehicle to be started in temperatures below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sturek said the Defense Department could issue an award as early as December or January. Sturek also said France and a Middle Eastern nation have expressed interest in MAL-V. Sturek said
Incumbent AM General, General Dynamics [GD] and a Navistar– [NAV] Indigen Armor–SAIC [SAI] team have also submitted proposals for GMV 1.1.