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13 Jun 11. Navistar Defense, LLC received a $357m delivery order for an additional 471 International® MaxxPro® Dash vehicles with DXM™ independent suspension. The order from the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command follows last month's delivery order for 250 MaxxPro Dash Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) ambulances. Navistar has quickly grown its fleet of MaxxPro vehicles to more than 8,700 units by leveraging its current commercial capabilities and assets, which includes the proven commercial International® WorkStar® platform. First, the company added the DXM independent suspension solution capability to new production vehicles. This was followed by orders for the new MaxxPro Recovery vehicle and most recently the MaxxPro Dash ambulance. The company has also developed a MaxxPro flatbed truck. "We have nine major MaxxPro variants in or on their way to theater today thanks to the flexibility of our proven vehicle platforms," said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense. "The MaxxPro Dash was the first MRAP to be modified specifically for the Afghan terrain and we have continued to enhance its capabilities all along the way. Keeping our warfighters equipped is priority one."While the MaxxPro family of vehicles has contributed to Navistar's growth into new markets, the company has fielded more than 32,000 vehicles since 2004. This includes sales of the MaxxPro, International® MXT™, as well as vehicles based on the International® PayStar® and WorkStar platforms. Production of the new units will occur in Garland, Texas, and West Point, Miss. Deliveries will be completed by September 2011. MaxxPro Dash vehicles are powered by MaxxForce® 9.3D engines.
10 Jun 11. U.S. House Appropriations defense subcommittee members don't want to see the Army shut down its tank production lines for the first time since 1941, so they added $272m to the U.S. Army's budget request and ordered the service to keep buying M1A2 Abrams tanks. U.S. Army leaders want to shut down the production line from 2013 to 2016, then reopen it to upgrade the Abrams fleet saying it could use the "scarce resources" toward other priorities. General Dynamics needs an additional order of 70 tanks to keep the production line open in Lima, Ohio, said Mike Cannon, General Dynamics' senior vice president for ground combat systems. The committee ordered Army Secretary John McHugh to issue a report on how his service will spend the additional funding with a strong push to upgrade the National Guard's tank fleet. At the end of production in 2013 the Army's tank fleet will include 1,547 M1A2 System Enhance Package (SEP) tanks mostly fielded to active units and 791 M1A1 tanks all fielded to National Guard units.
"In addition to the analysis of production costs, the Army must consider the benefit of equipping the tank units of both the active duty Army units and Army National Guard units with the same, most capable tank," the subcommittee wrote in their review. Only one National Guard brigade is outfitted with M1A2SEP tanks. The rest drive the M1A1 tank, which will stop production in July. In May, 120 Congressmen signed a bipartisan letter arguing the Army would save mo
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