Navistar Defense LLC reports it has earned an $18.9-million contract from the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) to manufacture and deliver 38 International 5000-MV heavy truck tractors (HTTs). It’s the company’s first contract with the U.S. Navy, and it includes three option periods that would increase the total number of vehicle to be supplied.
Navistar Defense LLC is an operating division of Navistar International Corp. The company did not project the potential value of the contract with its extensions. Production of the HTTs will begin in early 2012, and spare-parts supply and training services are included in the contract.
The 5000-MV HTT is a “proven heavy-haul tractor” that will support Navy Seabees’ transportation needs, the contractor explained. The vehicles are outfitted with a variety of armoring solutions derived from the International® MaxxPro® Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, a combat-ready transport vehicle. The HTTs are offered with a manual 18-speed transmission and a MaxxForce® D 13L engine.
“We are very appreciative of the Navy’s decision to select our HTT offering,” stated Navistar Defense president Archie Massicotte. “The Seabees have a long history of building new infrastructures half way around the world and we are proud to be a part of that tradition going forward.”
Similar 5000-MV HTT variants were used by the U.S. Army during two Persian Gulf Wars to transport tanks across the Saudi Arabian desert. Nearly 600 HTT units are in service now in Iraq, with KBR and the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, to support security and rebuilding efforts.