The new joint venture from Raytheon [RTN] and Germany’s Rheinmetall
has selected Textron Systems [TXT] to serve as the U.S. chassis manufacturer for the Lynx fighting vehicle being offered for the Army’s Bradley replacement program, the companies said Monday.
Textron’s role on the team vying for the Optionally-Manned Fighting Vehicle program includes establishing a U.S. supply chain for the Rheinmetall’s Lynx platform and supporting final integration if the vehicle is selected for the prototype phase.
“When we say Lynx will be built in America, we mean it,” Ben Hudson, head of Rheinmetall’s vehicle systems division, said in a statement. “Together with Textron Systems, we will provide the Army with a next-generation combat vehicle that will protect troops and give them a significant advantage in battle.”
Work will be performed at Textron’s Slidell, Louisiana, facility, and will include preparing to build the Lynx chassis if the platform is ultimately selected for an OMFV production contract.
“Textron Systems is an experienced manufacturer central to our strategy of leveraging a reliable U.S. supply chain to deliver the world’s most advanced combat vehicle to the U.S. Army,” Sam Deneke, vice president of Raytheon Land Warfare Systems, said in a statement.
Raytheon and Rheinmetall said last Friday they have formed a land systems joint venture as they prepare to submit a proposal and bid samples by Oct. 1 for the Army’s OMFV prototype program (Defense Daily, Sept. 27).
The two companies first announced they would partner on an OMFV offering last October, showing Rheinmetall’s Lynx outfitted with Raytheon-built weapons capabilities at the annual AUSA conference in Washington, D.C.
The new Raytheon Rheinmetall Land Systems team will likely be joined by General Dynamics [GD], with its Griffin III platform, in the OMFV prototype competition, after both BAE Systems and SAIC [SAIC] said they would sit out the program after previously expressing interest.
Officials from both companies have emphasized establishing a U.S.-based supply chain for Lynx, adding that Textron brings manufacturing experience with hull fabrication and rolling chassis assembly and integration.
“Textron Systems brings a decades-long heritage of supporting the U.S. Department of Defense and its allies with highly reliable and capable combat vehicles to enhance mission outcomes,” Lisa Atherton, the company’s CEO, said in a statement. “We are proud to be a part of the Lynx team and stand ready to support our teammates and our customer.”