Made in London, Ont: First of 360 new armoured vehicles rolls out
Ottawa awarded General Dynamics the $3B contract in September 2019
The first version of a new light-armoured military vehicle was rolled out Monday at the General Dynamics Land Systems plant in London, Ont.
The company will build 360 Armoured Combat Support Vehicles (ACSV) as part of a $3-billion contract with the Canadian Armed Forces.
They'll replace older LAVs that have come to be called the backbone of Canada's military land operations.
The first version included in the contract is a troop cargo vehicle. Other versions will include ambulances, command posts, maintenance and recovery vehicles, and troop-carrying vehicles.
The government awarded General Dynamics the contract in September 2019.
"Light Armoured Vehicles have protected Canada's soldiers on missions abroad for over 40 years, and it is a privilege to continue this tradition with the rollout of this first ACSV variant," said company vice-president Jason Monahan.
ACSVs are an extension of the existing Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) 6.0 family of vehicles in service with the Canadian army.
The vehicles are heavily armoured to provide protection in so-called high-threat environments.