Minister Blair announces $35.8 million investment to equip Canadian troops in Latvia with 90 new tactical vehicles
Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, announced that Canada is investing $35.8 million (including taxes) to deliver 90 Light Tactical Vehicles (LTVs) to Canadian Army personnel deployed in Latvia under Operation REASSURANCE – Canada’s mission in support of NATO’s assurance and deterrence measures.
This new fleet of vehicles will enable the Canadian Army to operate more effectively in complex terrain and isolated locations that larger vehicles cannot access. They will also be used to transport combat equipment, which will reduce the loads carried by individual soldiers.
To deliver these vehicles, Canada has finalized a contract with GM Defense Canada Company of Oshawa, Ontario, for 36 cargo and 54 personnel variants of the vehicle. The personnel variant is designed for teams of up to nine soldiers, while the cargo variant is designed for two to four soldiers and larger cargo. Light Forces equipped with a combination of cargo and personnel variants will be able to carry weapons, personal effects, and combat supplies for 72 hours of self-sufficient operation.
The contract also includes integrated logistics support and up to two years of spare parts for the LTV fleet, as well as an option to procure up to an additional 18 LTV. The vehicles will be based on an off-the-shelf design so that they are delivered as quickly as possible.
The first five vehicles are expected to arrive in Canada later this month, and will be used as the training fleet. Initial Cadre Training by the Canadian Army is expected to begin in late August 2024, with the remaining vehicles expected to arrive in Latvia by early October 2024.
The LTV contract is the first phase of the Light Forces Enhancement (LFE) Project. LFE will deliver a specialized, new wheeled off-road vehicle capability to the Canadian Armed Forces’ Light Forces – which are rapidly deployable and optimized for terrain and conditions not suited to mechanized forces.
The LFE Project Phase 2 will see up to 222 Tactical Mobility Platforms – also in cargo and personnel variants – and up to 23 light trailers, delivered to CA Regular and Reserve Forces in Canada. As the LFE project is in two phases, each will have a separate, competitive bidding process, which means different vehicles could be procured during each phase.
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THATCHER Chris:
Tactical Vehicle On The Fast Track, in: Canadian Army Today (Spring 2024), p. 56-58
Product availability and ability to meet the Army’s delivery schedule are two of the critical criteria for a rapid procurement project that will acquire up to 108 off-road vehicles for the brigade in Latvia.
Since 2017, the Army has been kicking the proverbial tires on a tactical vehicle for the light infantry battalions, as well as reconnaissance, intelligence, electronic warfare, and other light units — a rugged four-wheel platform capable of transporting dismounted troops and their gear closer to an objective.
Through a “buy and try” in 2017 and 2018, various units have put 36 Polaris MRZR-D utility task vehicles through a variety of scenarios over varied terrain to better understand the Army’s longer-term requirements for what is known as the Light Forces Enhancement (LFE) project. Most recently, members of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (3 RCR), conducted weapons tests, mounting a .50 calibre heavy machine gun, a 40 mm grenade launcher, and a BGM-71 TOW (Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided) heavy anti-tank missile on the platform.
While LFE remains ongoing, the Army has determined it will need light tactical vehicles in Latvia for dismounted sub-units and platoons within the mechanized battalions that will make up a significant portion of the Canadian-led multinational brigade. And, it will need them delivered, with trained operators, for a NATO exercise in November.
Consequently, LFE is now being conducted in two phases. Under the LTV project, the Army will acquire up to 108 vehicles in the coming months, for delivery in early August. The legacy LFE project will then acquire up to 222 more vehicles in the coming years, informed in part by feedback from the units employing the first batch in Latvia.
Both projects are being treated independently and procured under separate budgets, one as part of Operation Uplift for Latvia, and the other through the Army’s normal capital procurement program. The combined value is over $100 million.
The Army is ultimately seeking 330 vehicles in two variants, a personnel carrier with four to nine seats and a flatbed cargo platform with two to four seats. It will also acquire up to 33 tactical trailers.
The platforms must be large enough to carry ammunition, fuel, water, food, and gear to sustain soldiers for at least 72 hours, but light enough to be transported and airdropped by a CH-147 Chinook helicopter.
“The weight is a very important factor for us,” said Khelil. “We don’t want to rely on the trailers to mitigate the fact we carry a lot of weight,” he added, noting the difficulty of manoeuvring a vehicle towing a trailer on a dark and narrow track at 3:00 o’clock in the morning. Weight will be a determining factor as well in whether the project seeks a hardtop for the vehicle. It might provide protection, but it could also mean sacrificing personal gear. “We can have a protective cabin, but that comes with a price — weight,” he said.
“Every weapon has its own challenges,” Khelil observed. “We are looking at different systems, from the C6 (general purpose machine gun) with a calibre of 7.62, to the .50 calibre, the anti-tank guided missile system, and the 40-millimetre grenade launcher.”
The small MRZR has proven to be a “very good buy and try to inform the [LFE] project — we learned a lot of information from that platform,” he said. But it confirmed that the Army “requires something way more robust” for its light troops
https://canadianarmytoday.s3.amazonaws. ... ng2024.pdf
