ST Engineering selected as partner to produce prototype vehicle for US Army

ST Engineering and Oshkosh Defense, LLC, have been selected by the National Advanced Mobility Consortium (NAMC) to participate in the prototype phase for the US Army's Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV), according to Oshkosh's press statement on Monday.

The US tactical vehicle manufacturer said that the CATV is a new programme for a tracked vehicle that operates in extreme cold weather or arctic conditions, and that it is designed to replace the Small Unit Support Vehicles (SUSVs) which have been in service since the early 1980s.

Two prototypes will be delivered by Oshkosh Defense and ST Engineering - one is a general-purpose vehicle, while the other is a cargo vehicle for testing and soldier evaluation - in the third quarter of FY21. The prototypes will be evaluated on payload, mobility, crush resistance, swimming and transportability, said Oshkosh.

According to the statement, the US Army has plans to issue a follow-on production contract for up to 200 CATVs in FY22.

Said Pat Williams, vice-president and general manager of US Army and US Marine Corps programmes: "Oshkosh Defense and ST Engineering bring together an abundance of defense industry and manufacturing expertise to address the US Army's need for a proven vehicle that can easily maneuver in arctic environments."

The Oshkosh CATV is derived from ST Engineering's Bronco 3, which is a member of the Bronco family of vehicles that have been in service in various countries.

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Lee Shiang Long, president of land systems at ST Engineering, said the new vehicle design will incorporate the combined expertise of Oshkosh Defense and draw on Bronco vehicles' rich heritage.

ST Engineering shares rose 2 Singapore cents or 0.51 per cent on Tuesday to close at S$3.95.