The order was awarded to lead contractor General Dynamics
Land Systems Canada (GDLS-C) by the US Department of Defence
at the end of last year and the upgrade programme should
be completed before the end of this year.
“We are manufacturing the parts for the upgrade
kits in South Africa,” Land Systems South Africa
marketing and communications manager Natasha Pheiffer
explained on Tuesday. “This is helping maintain
our work force.”
The upgrade provides improvements in the survivability
and mobility of the RG31, and includes a new, higher performance,
power pack, new transfer cases and new suspension components.
Most of these parts for the upgrade are produced by Land
Systems OMC.
So far, more than 1 600 RG31s have been supplied to the US
armed forces via GDLS-C, with another 566 supplied to the
American military under separate contracts.
