LONDON, Ontario -- The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, with Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, Chief of the Land Staff, announced today that the Government of Canada has approved an upgrade program for the LAV III family of vehicles.

General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada will be the prime contractor and systems integrator for this program.

General Dynamics will now work closely with the Department of National Defence in defining the scope of the LAV III upgrades. At the heart of the upgrade program is a high-capacity driveline and suspension that significantly increases the vehicle’s payload. Increased payload will allow the vehicle the ability to deliver even better protection for Canadian soldiers. Other features of the upgrade package will be determined through discussions with the Department of National Defence.

Dr. Sridhar Sridharan, senior vice-president of General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, said, “We are proud of the LAVIII’s performance in theatres such as Afghanistan and have continually worked with DND in making the vehicle better. With this upgrade program, we can now incorporate the latest lessons learned in-theatre and evolve the vehicle to a significantly higher standard of performance. We are grateful for this opportunity to keep the LAV III at the forefront and our soldiers safe.”

Once the scope of work is fully defined and a contract is issued, significant work will be performed at General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada facilities in London, Ontario, and Edmonton, Alberta, as well as by the company’s nationwide network of over 400 Canadian suppliers. All regions of Canada will benefit from this work, including South Western Ontario.

General Dynamics
09.07.2009