Oshkosh Defense [OSK] said Tuesday it has delivered the Stryker vehicle outfitted with the new 30mm Medium Caliber Weapon System (MCWS) to the Army, as the program heads toward production verification testing (PVT).
A total of seven Stryker MCWS systems are set to be delivered by September for the PVT period, according to the company, with the testing set to run through June 2023.
“Our team leveraged our engineering and manufacturing prowess and deep commitment to customer satisfaction to deliver our first MCWS test vehicle on time, despite the dynamic market forces we have all experienced over the last year,” Pat Williams, Oshkosh Defense’s vice president and general manager of U.S. Army and Marine Corps programs, said in a statement. “Since the initial contract award, the close collaboration with the U.S. Army has been paramount to achieving this important milestone.”
Last June, the Army selected Oshkosh Defense for the Stryker MCWS program and awarded the company a potential $942 million deal, to include an initial $130 million delivery order covering 91 vehicles (Defense Daily, June 3).
Oshkosh Defense is partnered with Pratt Miller Defense and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems on the MCWS program, which aims to integrate a 30mm, unmanned turreted auto-cannon on Stryker DVHA1 Infantry Carrier Vehicles.
Last month, Oshkosh Defense received its third order for Stryker MCWS, which was a $130 million deal for delivery of 95 more upgraded vehicles (Defense Daily, July 13).
Oshkosh Defense noted it has completed Risk Management Testing for Stryker MCWS, and with the latest order it has now received $356 million to upgrade 269 Strykers for three brigades as well as 20 additional vehicles for further testing and logistics development.
The Army has signed off on plans to procure three brigades worth of Stryker MCWS, while the $942 million contract value reflects the potential for the Army to push that up to six brigades, program officials have said previously.
Stryker MCWS fielding is scheduled to begin next July with the I-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington State, according to Oshkosh Defense.