Textron Marine & Land Systems, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, and MDT Armor Corporation, a division of Arotech Corporation (Nasdaq GM: ARTX), today announced a teaming agreement to market, design and manufacture the Tiger Light Protected Vehicle. “The Tiger is a high quality, off-road vehicle in the light armor segment that meets the needs of a wide variety of potential customers. With our lean manufacturing expertise and the low lifecycle cost of the Tiger we feel like this is an excellent teaming opportunity,” said Textron Marine & Land Systems General Manager Tom Walmsley.
The Tiger is based on a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Dodge RAM 5500 platform, offering a cost effective, light protected class all terrain vehicle. The Tiger comfortably transports six to nine soldiers in an armor protected cabin offering effective ballistic and mine blast protection. The vehicle is designed to accommodate add-on armor enhancing protection to meet evolving threats. The Tiger’s 8.8 ton Gross Vehicle Weight, including the standard armor package and 1.5 ton payload. It is powered by a Cummins 350 HP diesel engine, large wheels, and a 127-inch wheel base, Tiger offers exceptional all terrain capabilities. It is equipped with heavy duty off-road suspension to ensure comfortable ride for the crew and effective off-road mobility. The roof is designed to accommodate remote controlled weapon station, or man-operated turret. According to Jonathan Whartman, MDT Armor Corporation Executive Vice President, the Tiger was designed as an affordable platform. MDT developed the armor solution separate from the chassis it rides on. “Our unique encapsulated cabin allows easy access to all components, or dismounting the entire cabin from the chassis” said Whartman. The armored cabin can then be installed on a new platform, therefore extending the armored vehicle’s service life and ensuring low life cycle cost. Vhartman added that by utilizing Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Dodge platforms MDT ensures widespread support and cost effective maintenance.
