The United States Marine Corps has ordered 1,000 additional International MaxxPro military vehicles valued at about $509 million from Navistar International Corp.
This new order, through Navistar's International Military and Government LLC affiliate, brings Navistar's total orders for Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles to 2,971 MaxxPro vehicles. The additional order is for Category I MRAP vehicles to be delivered by the end of April 2008. MRAP vehicles are designed to protect troops from roadside bombs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other threats.
In two months of production, the Navistar affiliate has delivered 188 MaxxPro vehicles to the military and is on a path to achieve production of 500 per month by February. In September, Navistar was also awarded $71.5 million to provide parts support for the Marine Corps.
International uses a modular armor concept, developed in conjunction with Plasan Sasa, to armor its MaxxPro vehicles. Plasan Sasa, a provider of armor systems, is rapidly expanding its capacity and focusing dedicated resources on meeting the increasing MRAP demand for MaxxPro vehicles. The design positions the V-shaped crew compartment on top of International's heavy-duty truck chassis. The V-shaped hull is designed to deflect blasts away from the truck.