CASR

Canadian
American
Strategic
Review

TAPV Armoured Vehicles  –  DND/CF Backgrounder  –  July 2009 TAPV  –  Future Land Combat  Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle Update: June 2012 – A $603M contract has been awarded  to Textron  for their TAPV. This  DND Backgrounder adds a  few details to the previously scanty information available on the CF's Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle  project. The most important is crew sizes for the different roles. For its Coyote replacement reconnaissance role, TAPV will have a crew of  four. As a general utility vehicle, the TAPV will carry four dismounts along with the crew of three. Another difference between variants is the armament. Either type may mount remote-controlled weapons systems (akin to those fitted to current CF APVs and some TLAVs) but the TAPV-Recce may also be fitted with a one-man turret. The role breakdown suggests a small 'family' of vehicles – based on a common chassis but,  perhaps, chassis of different lengths.  This doesn't suggest any particular vehicle but it probably eliminates some smaller TAPV 'candidates' that've been bandied about. At one point, a "LAV 2" is mentioned. Generally, this would be an unofficial reference to the Bison and Coyote but, although an "APC" replacement is mentioned – only the Coyote is specifically referred to, implying that there's no direct replacement for Bison. We'll cover Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles more in the CASR Background section. DND/Canadian Forces News Release Backgrounder  —  Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle  [ TAPV ] BG - 09.017 - July 8, 2009 The  Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle  ( TAPV) is a general utility combat vehicle that can fulfill a variety of roles on the battlefield, such as reconnaissance and surveillance, command and control, and cargo[,] and armoured personnel carrier [ie: infantry section carrier]. The TAPV will provide both a very high degree of protection to the crew while remaining highly mobile. The TAPV is designed to tackle tough terrain, providing [CF] troops with a cross-country capability to give greater flexibility in choosing routes. The TAPV will replace the [APV] Armoured Patrol Vehicle (RG-31), the LAV 2 (Coyote only) and will complement the [LUVW] Light Utility Vehicle Wheeled (G-Wagon). There will be two variants ... procured under this project. The first is a reconnaissance (recce) variant, which will replace the Coyote ...  The Recce variant will have a crew of four and will  be equipped with either a  one-man turret  or a  Remote Weapon Station (RWS). The second variant, the general utility vehicle, will be the new [APC] armoured personnel carrier. With a crew of three, the vehicle can carry [4 fully-equipped troops] and will be fitted with a RWS. The TAPV project will procure 500 vehicles with an option for an additional 100. Speci- fically, the Canadian Forces will acquire up to 200 of the Recce variant and up to 300 of the general utility variant. Deliveries will begin in 2012 and initial operational capability is expected a year later. The procurement process will be a competitive military off-the-shelf [MOTS] acquisi- tion. A letter of interest (LOI) [invitation] and price and availability (P&A) [notice] will be issued shortly to identify potential bidders. The definition phase of the project will include a solicitation of interest and qualification (SOIQ) and a request for proposals (RFP) [notice]. Contract award is expected by spring 2011. The Industrial and Regional Benefits [IRB] policy is applied to this procurement, which means the winning company must generate economic activity in Canada, dollar for dollar equal to the contract value.