# BAE Delivering a Cougar Variant for Iraq's $445.4M ILAV Contract



## 3rd Herd (5 Aug 2007)

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The usual disclaimer:
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/cat/industry/contracts-awards/
BAE Delivering a Cougar Variant for Iraq's $445.4M ILAV Contract
05-Aug-2007 16:14

The global trend toward mine-resistant vehicles has become unmistakable. The 101st Airborne's RG-31s and Australian Bushmasters were the first examples in Iraq, followed by the M1117 ASVs for military police and Cougar and Buffalo vehicles among US Marines et. al. Britain has the 'Mastiff' Cougar variant. And the Iraqis? While up-armored Hummers are a big upgrade over the Ford commercial pickups some units were using, they knew that they, too, needed a mine-resistant vehicle that could perform patrols in urban areas and along their country's roads.

Their choice featured a familiar vehicle base – but an unfamiliar partnership. While the design is based on Force Protection Inc's v-hulled Cougar that has earned such praise from US Marine Corps and Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams in Iraq, the prime contractor is competitor BAE Systems. The original contract and associated work began at the end of May 2006, and its total value could reach $445.4 million and 1,050 vehicles if all options are exercised. The first ILAVs were delivered to Iraq 90 days after contract award, i.e. by the end of August 2006.

So why use Cougar variant, instead of existing BAE products… and is the Iraqi vehicle getting the RG-33L's robotic arm After all, BAE's vast array of products include the M2/M3 Bradley, the M113 APC family, the highly-regarded v-hulled RG-31 Nyala 4×4s that are also in battlefield use by American and Canadian troops, and larger v-hulled Casspir personnel carriers that have a long history of effective use in mined war zones. 

DID spoke with a BAE executive, whose simple response was that they looked at the Iraqis' stated requirements, looked at what was available on the market, decided that this option would be the best offering (the RG-33 hadn't yet been introduced), and put the consortium together.

This has not stopped BAE from making competitive moves of its own toward the Cougar/Buffalo's market niche, however, just as Force Protection is making moves toward the smaller mine-resistant vehicle niche of BAE OMC's RG-31/32 offerings. See below for further details...............http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/bae-delivering-a-cougar-variant-for-iraqs-4454m-ilav-contract-02338/#more


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