Three U.K.-based and owned defense firms led by Coventry-based Morgan Advanced Materials-Composites & Defense Systems, and including Ricardo and Ultra Electronics, have clinched a potential $33 million contract to support and develop the Ministry of Defense’s (MoD) Cougar family of protected patrol vehicles, which includes more than 20 variants.
Photo: Ricardo
The team won the bid against strong competition by best meeting the key criteria specified by the MoD such as quality, software, safety, environmental impact and vehicle integration, as well as the ability to provide a truly sustainable support solution, Ricardo said in a statement April 2.
Defense Minister Philip Dunne said: “As we bring our battle winning vehicles back from Afghanistan our focus turns to how best we benefit from these life-saving assets in decades to come. Our Cougar, Mastiff, Ridgback and Wolfhound fleet, comprising of over 600 vehicles, have proven themselves time and again on operations and will now support a more efficient Army. This investment, which is set to be worth up to [$33 million] over the first two years of the contract, will not only ensure our vehicles are adapted to their new roles, but will sustain the livelihoods of highly-skilled employees at three British based Defense companies.”
The Cougar Post-Design Service (PDS) program, which covers the Mastiff, Ridgback and Wolfhound vehicle fleets, is set to be worth up to $33.26 million over the first two years and could be extended for as long as seven years in total, providing a significant boost to the local economy.
Under the program, the three companies will provide an annual service contract, with a team of experts on hand around the clock to provide technical and project management services to successfully manage and support the in-service Cougar family of vehicles fleet.
Of particular importance to the program will be the optimization of safety on the platforms, in addition to configuration management, legal compliance and standardization of the platforms by rationalizing the component supply chain, the statement said.
The program will be coordinated from Morgan’s specialist Coventry facility, drawing on the support of the company’s extensive local supply chain securing and creating jobs directly and indirectly across the region.
Duncan Eldridge of Morgan Advanced Materials-Composites & Defence Systems said: “This is a highly significant contract award for us and demonstrates the advantages of harnessing the unique capabilities of key partners such as Ultra Electronics and Ricardo to offer the MoD the best possible service in the key areas of armor protection, vehicle electronics and overall project coordination.
Morgan Advanced Materials’ Composites and Defense Systems business–formerly NP Aerospace–designed, developed and integrated UK-specific, specialized armor protection and electronic systems into the entire Cougar family. It also implemented and operated the spares support processes, including configuration management, stocking and supply chain management, keeping the fleets running during combat operations.
Ricardo U.K. managing director Martin Fausset, said: “Ricardo has extensive expertise in the design, development, refurbishment and upgrade of military vehicles, and is able to draw upon the very latest skills, technologies and innovations from its work in the global automotive engineering and motorsports sectors.
Andy Yates, managing director of Ultra Electronics-Precision Air and Land Systems, said: “We are confident that the MoD will receive the most cost effective and best in class solution through our tri-party team, which draws on extensive experience in the military vehicle sector”.