BAE, Oshkosh to build prototype cold-weather vehicles for U.S. Army

The Bronco 3 by Oshkosh Defense and ST Engineering will compete with a vehicle by BAE Systems to be the U.S. Army's next cold-weather all-terrain vehicle, the companies announced this month. Photo courtesy of ST Engineering

Oshkosh Defense and BAE Systems were chosen to deliver prototypes of the U.S. Army’s next Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle, the companies announced on Wednesday.

The National Advanced Mobility Consortium, an alliance of defense contractors and research organizations involved in providing the U.S. government access to technology developers, narrowed the choice to the two companies.

Testing of the prototype tracked vehicles, meant to operate in the Arctic and other cold-weather environments, is expected in the third quarter of 2021, with a decision by the Army sometime in 2022.

BAE Systems announced on Wednesday that its Beowulf vehicles were chosen, saying in a statement that the vehicle has “a modular design and can be reconfigured for multiple missions, such as logistical support, disaster and humanitarian relief, search and rescue, and other missions as required.”

It is based on BAE’s BvS10 platform, currently produced in Sweden and in use by five militaries, including Austria and the United Kingdom.

Oshkosh Defense announced its position as a finalist for the U.S. Army contract on April 5, noting ST Engineering of Singapore as a partner in the project.

Its prototype is derived from the Bronco 3 and is in production by ST, which said the vehicle can traverse “swamps, desert, snow or water bodies to satisfy the most demanding mobility requirements of expeditionary forces,” the company said on its website.

The production contract for the chosen manufacturer, to build 165 general purposes and command and control CATVs, and 35 cargo variants, will have an estimated value of $250 million.

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