LAV deal could bring in $1B - General DynamicGeneral Dynamic Land Systems Canada took a first step into a big contract Friday with a funding announcement by federal cabinet ministers Peter MacKay and Rona Ambrose.
https://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2010/07/09/14665441.html
Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women investigated the interior of a Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) Friday. The ministers visited General Dynamics Land Systems to announce that the Government of Canada has awarded a $34.4 million contract to the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) 111 Upgrade program. (SUE REEVE The London Free Press)
The ministers were at GDLS on Oxford St. E. to announce $34.4 million in funding for the initial stage of a contract to upgrade 550 made-in-London LAV III light armoured vehicles. The contract could eventually bring $1 billion in business to the GDLS plant, which employs 2,100.
The upgrades to the LAV III, used extensively by Canadian forces in Afghanistan, includes improvements to the armour system, including a double-V hull that will make the vehicles less vulnerable to the buried explosives that have caused many of the casualties in the conflict.
“These upgrades will improve the effectiveness of the LAVs across all terrains and all missions, including cold weather,” said Ambrose, who is minister of public works.
There will also be improvements to the vehicle’s engine, suspension and weapons systems.
MacKay, the federal defence minister, called the LAV III “the backbone of the Canadian army,” but said the crews in the vehicles need more protection from mines, improvised explosives devices and anti-armour weapons. He said the upgraded vehicles will be needed even after Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan ends next year.
“We know that this type of warfare will be prevalent well into the future,” said MacKay.
The $34-million initial contract involves engineering and design work and the building of prototypes, said GDLS spokesperson Ken Yamashita.
He said the most of the funding for the project will come when the upgrades are actually installed in the vehicles — a process that is expected to begin in about a year.
“The implementation stage is the big-money phase, but this is important because it gets us started,” said Yamashita.