Textron Marine & Land, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, has been awarded a contract modification by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) to manufacture 64 Armored Security Vehicles (ASV) for a new configuration called the M707 Armored Knight. Approximately $35 million or 75 percent of the contract value has been awarded, pending final contract negotiations.

The Armored Knight is the ASV equipped with a sensor package that is used to locate and designate targets for indirect fire and laser guided weapons. The newly configured ASV will be used by Field Artillery Combat Observation and Lasing Teams (COLT) to carry out these missions.

The ASV is a light, agile wheeled combat vehicle with 360 degree armor protection against small arms fire, can withstand anti-tank land mines under any wheel and artillery burst fragments overhead.

The Armored Knight is the only system in production with target accuracy equivalent to the delivery accuracies of today's precision-guided munitions, such as JDAM and Excalibur. The ASV vehicle will be provided to DRS Technologies, prime contractor for the Armored Knight and responsible for the integration of the sensor and Mission Equipment Package.

The total requirement for the program has been listed at 345 vehicles.

More than 450 ASVs have been deployed in the Global War on Terrorism in support of convoy protection and other combat missions. TM&L has delivered more than 535 vehicles to date.

The ASV is a 4x4 wheeled armored vehicle that offers exceptional crew protection through the employment of multiple layers of armor that provides defense against small arms fire, artillery projectile fragments, and land mines. This advanced armor is exceedingly lightweight and allows the vehicle to be able to "roll-on/roll-off" C-130 military transport aircraft. The ASV possesses superior mobility, agility, handling, and ride quality through the utilization of a four-wheel independent suspension system. Textron Marine & Land has equipped the U.S. Army Military Police version with a specially designed dual-weapon station that, unlike many other vehicles, enables the crew to load, reload and clear gun jams under full armor protection. With minor modifications and appropriate outfitting, ASV variants include operation as a scout vehicle, infantry personnel carrier, reconnaissance, command and recovery vehicle.

Sergyi Way
18.10.2006

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