FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo.—The first test vehicles for the Army’s future heavy dump trucks have already rolled off the Mack Defense production line and are undergoing final fittings before delivery to the service in late May or early June for a 40-week round of testing, a company official said here last week.
The first production lot test vehicles are armor capable but won’t be outfitted with armor for the upcoming testing. The company expects to receive another order this spring for five to seven more vehicles in the armored cab configuration for a separate round of blast and survivability testing that will follow the initial testing, Rob Gordon, senior director of Business Development, told Defense Daily April 9 during the Army Engineer Association Industry Exhibition.
Mack Defense LLC of Upper Macungie Township has landed a contract that will bring some work through the Lehigh Valley over the next five years.
The Mexican Marines paraded a single Mack Defense Sherpa Scout armoured patrol vehicle during a 16 September military parade, a design which was considered for procurement several times since 2011 (SEMAR).
The new Mack trucks destined for the Canadian Forces were put through cold temperature testing at the end of January.
Mack Defense, part of the Volvo Group, has been awarded a contract from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to supply Mack heavy-duty trucks, including those that run on natural gas.