Marine Corps seeking new vehicle for aircraft rescue.

PositionLOGISTICS

* The Marine Corps has made due with 30-year-old aircraft-rescue and firefighting vehicles that no longer meet current operational standards. The service plans to field a replacement in the coming years.

Oshkosh Defense--which manufactured the P-19 fleet currently used by the Marine Corps to conduct firefighting and rescue missions at its airfields--in May received an estimated $192 million contract to build a new model.

Legacy vehicles do not currently meet the National Fire Protection Association's minimum standards, but the P-19 replacement (P-19R) will be compliant, said John Bryant, the company's vice president and general manager.

The new standards require that vehicles have better acceleration and be able to handle severe slopes and rough terrain. "These vehicles may have to move in a convoy over difficult terrain in an expeditionary environment," Bryant said.

To accommodate this need, the new vehicles will be built with a 600 horsepower engine instead of the P-19's 400 horsepower engine.

The replacements will be equipped with a stronger suspension system, the TAK-4, which is used on mine resistant ambush protected vehicles. The P-19R will...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT