Textron wins new armored vehicle contract from the Canadian Army

High ranking officials from the Textron Systems Canada, a subsidiary of the American aerospace and defence firm Textron Systems Inc., claimed today that the company has won a new deal from the Canadian Army.

According to the contract, Textron will supply the army with 500 Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles (TAPV). According to the company, the deal for the delivery of the vehicles is estimated at $605 million, while the five year technical support contract will cost another $105 million.

The Canadian associate minister of national defence, Keith Ashfield informed media that there is an option to expand the contract by another 100 vehicles, once the deliveries are made for the first phase. The Canadian Army has been pressing for a long time to get their current fleet of armoured vehicles replaced. However, the replacement will be starting only after the withdrawal of the Canadian combat troops from Afghanistan, which will coincide with the NATO-troop withdrawal in 2014.

Julian Fantino, the associate minister of national defence said that the acquirement was necessitated by the deaths and injuries to a number of Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan, as a result of land mines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The TAPV is capable of offering a fair deal of protection to the soldiers from IED and other explosions, reducing the risk of casualties.

The vehicles will be inducted in to the Canadian Army from 2014 onward. The replacement is expected to be completed by the year 2016. The TAPVs will be replacing the RG-31 Nyala Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and the Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs), currently operated by the Canadian Army. Army sources said that out of the 500 vehicles, 200 will be used as reconnaissance vehicles, and the remaining will be used for the transportation of troops.

The Textron Marine & Land Systems Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) is an upgraded version of the Armored Security Vehicle (ASV). Its plus points include an advanced blast deflection system, including energy absorbing belly armour, vented wheel wells, and a V-hull vehicle armour.