Colombian Army Acquires 28 Additional COMMANDO Armored Personnel Carriers from Textron Marine & Land Systems
NEW ORLEANS – August 22, 2013 – Textron Marine & Land Systems (TM&LS), an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today a $31.6 million contract award from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to provide 28 COMMANDO(TM) Advanced Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), with 40mm/.50 cal remote turrets, to the Colombian Army (COLAR). Initial APC deliveries to the U.S. Army, for shipping to Colombia, are expected to begin in November, with all vehicles scheduled to be completed and transferred by April 2014.
The contract also includes repair services on two damaged Armored Personnel Carriers in the COLAR’s inventory, which consists of 39 COMMANDO Advanced APCs in operation with its Armored Cavalry units. These repairs will coincide with vehicle support service work on COLAR APCs awarded to TM&LS earlier this year.
Since fielding its APCs in May 2010, the COLAR has employed them extensively while combating internal revolutionary forces in Colombia. These vehicles have provided the mobility, protection and firepower needed to meet all COLAR tactical armored vehicle requirements.
“Our Colombian Army customer values the performance, operator protection and reliability they have experienced with our COMMANDO APCs during more than three years of demanding operations,” said Textron Marine & Land Systems Senior Vice President and General Manager Tom Walmsley. “We’re pleased to be growing this relationship and providing the Colombian Army with this important asset for its Cavalry units.”
The COMMANDO Advanced APC is an extended version of the Armored Security Vehicle, combat proven by the U.S. Army and other militaries in locations including Afghanistan and Iraq for more than 10 years. The APC’s additional two feet in length and six inches in internal height allow greater troop carrying capacity. These vehicles offer excellent on-road and off-road mobility, enabling them to operate in urban, jungle, desert and mountainous terrain. Crew protection is reinforced with a V-shaped hull bottom and 360-degree protection from direct fire.
Rigorously tested and proven in the toughest environments, the COMMANDO family of vehicles offers a range of protection options, unmatched on-road/off-road mobility and ample firepower. TM&LS produces four lines of COMMANDO four-wheeled vehicles – COMMANDO Utility, COMMANDO Advanced, COMMANDO Select and COMMANDO Elite.
As an end-to-end armored vehicle provider, TM&LS offers customers a wide range of COMMANDO products and services. Within the COMMANDO family of vehicle lines, TM&LS has recently developed an enhanced recapitalization solution for HMMWVs, a 4x4 mortar vehicle, and command and control integration. Coordinated logistics support ensures proper fielding, training, maintenance and related services throughout each vehicle’s life cycle.
About Textron Marine & Land Systems
Textron Marine & Land Systems designs, produces and supports advanced wheeled combat vehicles and cutting-edge maritime craft used by U.S. and international armed forces, as well as civilian entities around the globe. Its COMMANDO family of armored vehicles offers a full range of vehicle options delivering enhanced survivability, mobility, lethality and sustainability. Textron Marine & Land Systems’ innovative turret technology and related subsystems also deliver outstanding performance and reliability. Its strategic business, MillenWorks, operates an Engineering Center of Excellence with a reputation as a highly sought-after solution center, which designs and develops advanced mobility solutions for demanding on- and off-road applications. Textron Marine & Land Systems is an operating unit of Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textronmarineandland.com.
About Textron Systems
Textron Systems has been providing innovative solutions to the defense, homeland security and aerospace communities for more than 50 years. Headquartered in Providence, R.I., the company is known for its unmanned aircraft systems, advanced marine craft, armored vehicles, intelligent battlefield and surveillance systems, intelligence software solutions, precision smart weapons, piston engines, test and training systems, and total life cycle sustainment and operational services. Textron Systems includes AAI Logistics & Technical Services, AAI Test & Training, AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Aerosonde, ESL Defence, Lycoming Engines, Medical Numerics, MillenWorks, Overwatch, Textron Defense Systems and Textron Marine & Land Systems. More information is available at www.textronsystems.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.
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