At the beginning of last year, the U.S. Army let slip it is in need of a new Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV) for use in extreme conditions. Two defense contractors, Oshkosh Defense and BAE Systems, jumped on the bandwagon with the ST Engineering-based Bronco and the Beowulf, respectively, but as usual in such cases, there can only be one winner. And this time, it’s Beowulf.
BAE Systems announced this week the Army selected its tracked, dual-body amphibious vehicle as the future CATV, and awarded the British company a $278 million contract for “production units, spare parts and contractor logistics support.”
“Beowulf is a highly capable solution to meet the US Army’s requirement for Arctic operations. We look forward to providing our soldiers operating in challenging terrain and environments with this highly capable vehicle,” said in a statement Mark Signorelli, vice president of business development at BAE Systems Platforms & Services.
“We have been maturing and modernizing cold weather all-terrain capabilities for decades, bringing advanced capabilities to the United States and numerous other countries. This contract means we will continue to do so for many years to come.”
The company says this is the first time it sealed the sale of the Beowulf, which is the unarmored version of something it calls BvS10. This new one can carry up to eight tons of cargo, or if need be 14 soldiers or personnel. The thing can travel through the harshest and most diverse of terrains at speeds of as much as 65 kph (40 mph).
Beowulf has been designed to be a multi-use vehicle, being suitable for anything from logistical support, disaster and humanitarian relief to search and rescue, and of course military missions.
BAE Systems did not say when it is supposed to deliver the vehicles, or how many of them are covered by the contract.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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