BAE Systems Wins U.S. Navy Contract
British multinational company BAE Systems has secured a contract worth $113.5 million to supply an additional 26 amphibious combat vehicles (ACV) to the US Marine Corps (USMC).The company will supply the ACVs under the low-rate initial production (LRIP) phase of the program. The deal will now bring the total ACV order from the USMC to 116, moving the programme closer to full-rate production.The ACV is a highly mobile, survivable and adaptable platform for conducting rapid ship-to-shore operations and brings enhanced combat power to the battlefield. BAE Systems has been in low-rate production since 2018 on the personnel carrier variant in the ACV family, which is envisioned to consist of additional variants including command and control, 30mm medium caliber turret, and recovery versions.
Pair of Fire/Rescue Boats Now on Duty
Boat builder Lake Assault Boats has placed two fire and rescue boats into service with the San Bernardino County Fire Department in California. The versatile landing craft style vessels – one 28 feet long and the other 26 feet long – are equipped to handle a wide range of emergency response scenarios. “Having two of our boats on duty with the San Bernardino County Fire Department is an honor,” said Chad DuMars, Lake Assault Boats vice president of operations. The 28-foot craft is stationed in Needles, Calif. and serves on the Colorado River.
Ukraine Reinforces Defense of Key Port
Ukraine reinforced its defenses at the port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov on Thursday in anticipation of a rebel attack amid reports that pro-Russian separatists were advancing on the city with tanks and artillery. Further north, in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, renewed shelling killed at least one woman and blew huge holes in residential buildings, a day before talks between Kiev and the separatists on a possible ceasefire. A Ukrainian soldier told Reuters he had seen the separatists advancing on Mariupol, a city of about 500,000, with tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery. His comments could not be independently confirmed. A Reuters witness heard about a dozen blasts and saw plumes of black smoke rising a few km (miles) to the east of Mariupol.
General Dynamics Gets $67mi Order from Peruvian Govt.
The Peruvian Ministry of Defence has awarded a USD$67 million contract to General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada for 32 Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) for the Peruvian Marines. General Dynamics Land Systems, the Canadian company's parent corporation, is a business unit of General Dynamics. The contract was signed through the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada. Vehicles provided under this contract will be personnel carrier variants of the LAV II family of vehicles with amphibious capability. Included in the contract is a complete logistics support package. Deliveries will commence by mid-2015.
Sakhalin Energy, Sovcomflot Order Newbuild
The companies have signed a number of agreements for construction and long-term operation of the vessels for Sakhalin-2 project. At an official ceremony in Moscow, Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (Sakhalin Energy) and Sovcomflot Shelf (SCF Shelf) on behalf of Sovcomflot Group have signed a contract for the construction and long-term operation of the multifunctional icebreaking supply vessel for Sakhalin-2 offshore platforms. Operations under the contract will continue for 20 years. The vessel will be used as year round personnel carrier and also as supply vessel for offshore platforms in the Sea of Okhotsk. In case of emergency, the vessel will be deployed for personnel evacuation and oil spill response.
BAE Systems Contracted to Evaluate USMC Amphibious Vehicles
BAE Systems to help U.S. Marine Corps determine the future of its amphibious vehicle fleet under two contracts. The contracts are in regard to the Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC). The work includes conducting a trade study to evaluate improvements to the AAV and delivering MPC sample vehicles and hulls to be used for demonstrations of water mobility, blast protection and Human Factors Engineering. The AAV trade study will allow BAE Systems to…
EnerMech Service Center Established for Reflex
Reflex Marine has established an accredited service centre (ASC) in Norway for its industry-leading FROG and Toro personnel carriers. The company has appointed mechanical engineering specialist EnerMech AS as the accredited service center in the region. As part of an ongoing program Reflex Marine has established accredited service centers in the UAE, Canada and the Caspian region, and plans to establish further centers in Singapore, the US and Brazil. Reflex Marine’s FROG personnel…
Sideways to Swimmers: Unusual Tank Testing
Offshore supply vessels, passenger vessels, yachts. How much power is required and how will they ride in seas? These are the questions Gerry Stensgaard, P.Eng, and the staff at the Ocean Engineering Centre (OEC) of Vizon Scitec (formerly BC Research) usually answer. But over the years naval architects and others have asked for answers to some unusual questions. "They are open minded about special testing," says Tim Nolan, P.E., Naval Architect at Tim Nolan Marine Design, PC. Special testing might mean a peculiar test of a typical craft. Or it might be basic resistance and seakeeping tests for an unusual craft; which might seem easy, but the test setup can become difficult. Located in Vancouver, Canada, the OEC consists of a 220 by 12 ft.
