- GENERAL DYNAMICS AWARDED
LOW-RATE INITIAL PRODUCTION CONTRACT
FOR WOLVERINE HEAVY ASSAULT BRIDGE -

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- The United States Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems a $106 million low-rate initial production multi-year contract to build 29 Wolverine Heavy Assault Bridge vehicles. The first Wolverine low-rate vehicle will be delivered in August 1999 and the last in December 2001. The work will be done at Land Systems' Lima, Ohio; Muskegon, Michigan; Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Tallahassee, Florida, operations with their existing work force.

The Wolverine is the U.S. Army's replacement for the existing armored vehicle launch bridge (AVLB) systems that support tanks, artillery, and infantry on the battlefield. It integrates the M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP) Abrams chassis with a new heavy assault bridge system built by MAN Technologie of Germany. The Wolverine's 26 meter aluminum bridge, strong enough to support 70 tons, can be deployed in under five minutes and retrieved in under 10 minutes. It is operated by a two-person crew -- a driver and a commander who have dual controls to operate the bridge.

The Wolverine's Abrams chassis provides better crew protection and significant increases in mobility and reliability compared to the AVLBs it is replacing. It also provides enhanced tactical bridging capabilities by allowing 70 ton military vehicles to cross gaps of 24 meters wide.

The Wolverine is also equipped with the full digital communications capability of the M1A2 SEP, making it the first digital vehicle in the Army's engineer force. This digital force capability provides the task force commander with visibility of all his Wolverines on his own command screen, allowing him to tell the Wolverines the exact position he wants to lay the bridge.

The Wolverine program was developed and planned to take full advantage of the development and production capabilities of the Abrams Tank Program. "The Wolverine is over 80 percent common to the M1A2 SEP upgrade vehicle configuration, and this will provide increased capabilities, improved reliability, and affordable production unit costs," said Mark Stein, Land Systems' Wolverine Heavy Assault Bridge program director. "This program also embraces several important acquisition reform initiatives; specifically, cost as an independent variable, common process initiatives, and multi-year acquisition."

The Wolverine is scheduled to begin full rate production for 465 vehicles in 2001 at a rate of 24 to 36 units annually. "This low-rate production award is significant for the Army because they will be able to field the Wolverine with their first digitized division," said Stein.

General Dynamics Land Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation, is a world leader in the development, production, and support of armored vehicles and electronic systems. Its 3,500 employees operate plants and facilities in seven states and at three international locations. More information about General Dynamics Land Systems can be found on the Internet at www.gdls.com.

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LS-98-6
5-4-98