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Patria's successful introduction of the AMV, the modular vehicle
was fielded in various configurations by the Polish, Finnish,
Slovenian, South African and Croatian armies. Lockheed Martin's
previous experience with military vehicles has sofar been limited
to two programs - both with the USMC. These include the Light
Armored Vehicle Command and Control (LAV-C2) and Lightweight
Prime Mover. In the past two years the company positioned itself
as a strong competitor seeking to dominate larger share of this
crowded market.
At the Modern Day Marine and AUSA exhibitions earlier this
month, Lockheed Martin unveiled a company funded JLTV
contender which, unlike other contenders, is already 'available
for production'. Through its UK based subsidiary, the company
promotes more programs, including lightweight MLRS rocket carrier
and an upgrade of the British Warrior vehicle. "The Lockheed
Martin/Patria team will offer the U.S. Marine Corps a superior
personnel carrier that enhances force protection while still
providing the mobility necessary to execute expeditionary missions,"
said Lou DeSantis, vice president and general manager of Systems
Solutions at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego. "Our
MPC is a combat-proven solution that supports the Marine Corps'
current mission with room for future capability enhancement."
According to Lockheed Martin, the unconventional warfare optimized
vehicle will be designed to fill the medium-armor ground vehicle
gap and maintain its effective capability across the full range
of military operations. The vehicle will maintain full amphibious
operation capability.
The Patria AMV 8x8 multi-role vehicle was launched in 2001,
with the first vehicles delivered to the Polish army in 2004
as the serial production started. It has also participated in
tough field tests in a number of Arab, Asian and South American
countries, with excellent results.
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