Representatives from Navistar Defense LLC, and the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office for Combat Service Support marked the urgent completion and scheduled delivery of the first wave of armored cab units designated for service with the Afghan National Security Forces during a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Navistar Defense manufacturing facility in West Point, MS.
Just two months ago, Navistar received an order to retrofit 205 armored cabs onto Navistar Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTVs), which are based on the International WorkStar platform. The $23 million award involves replacing the current commercial cab with a specially designed armored cab— providing savings by re-using the original components of the MTV. The armored solution will protect the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP) from ballistic and blast threats in the theater of operations. The order also includes enhancing additional vehicle elements for improved survivability to provide Afghan National Security Forces with the capability to conduct route clearance missions with mine roller applications.
“Today we are celebrating the rapid manufacturing and delivery of armored cabs that will assist in the transition of our security mission and facilitate the withdrawal of U.S. forces while protecting the Afghan National Security Forces,” says Bob Walsh, Vice President and General Manager, Navistar Defense.
“This improvement is tremendously important to our Afghan allies,” says Colonel William Boruff, U.S. Army Project Manager for Transportation Systems. “This solution provides a robust route clearance capability for Afghan personnel, improving their safety each and every day.”
The Navistar MTV is an extremely flexible platform that is already in service in Afghanistan in a variety of key missions including general troop transport, water tankers, fuel trucks, recovery vehicles and cargo trucks. Since 2004, Navistar has provided nearly 9,000 MTVs to the ANA and ANP. There are another 14,000 Navistar MTVs in service with military units around the world.
Deliveries of the vehicles will continue through July.
