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| Image: Wiki Commons |
NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 5, 2015 – Textron Systems Marine & Land Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) business, announced today it has been awarded a $17.4 million Interim Contractor Training Support (ICTS) contract from the United States (U.S.) Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to provide next-level training to the Afghan National Army for its four-wheeled Mobile Strike Force Vehicles (MSFVs). The contract has a 12 month period of performance.
621 MSFVs, based on Textron Systems’ COMMANDO™ Select armored vehicle line, have been delivered to the Afghan National Army (ANA) since 2012, with over 550 of these vehicles actively engaged in security operations in strategic locations across the country.
The ICTS contract calls for the Textron Systems in-country team to provide on-the-job training (OJT) and mentorship, enabling ANA personnel to perform detailed maintenance and repair actions to sustain its MSFV inventory. In addition to OJT vehicle repair and maintenance training, Textron Systems will continue mentoring and training the ANA on inventory and supply system activities, as well as developing and delivering program instruction manuals.
“The goal of this training program is to equip the Afghan National Army with the required skills to be fully self-sufficient in all aspects of maintaining and sustaining its MSFV fleet over the long haul,” said Senior Vice President and General Manager Tom Walmsley. “This training supports the United States’ strategic objective of transitioning the security mission in Afghanistan to that nation’s military.”
A Textron Systems team has supported MSFVs in-country program efforts for over four years. A dedicated team has trained over 2,200 ANA soldiers on operation and field-level maintenance in classroom environments, along with extensive hands-on experience. Textron Systems has also deployed multiple Field Service Representative (FSR) teams with ANA Kandaks (battalions) in the field to provide additional sustainment and maintenance support.
Rigorously tested and proven in the toughest environments, the COMMANDO family of vehicles – including Elite, Select and Advanced lines – offers a range of protection options, unmatched on-road/off-road mobility and firepower. As an end-to-end solutions provider, Textron Systems also offers customers vehicle fielding, training, maintenance and logistics support services throughout each vehicle’s life cycle. Textron Systems has decades of keeping assets operational and personnel expertly trained and over five million hours working side-by-side with our troops in combat.