US SOCOM Evaluates Vehicle for Osprey: US Special Operations Command is evaluating what it needs for a vehicle to be transported inside a CV-22 Osprey — the Pentagon's latest foray into the growing light-vehicles market.
Air Force special tactics squadrons would use a speedy off-road vehicle for combat search-and-rescue operations, deep reconnaissance missions and combat controller team insertions on rugged, hostile territory, program officials say. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has, since trading its MH-53 Pave Low for the tilt-rotor Osprey in 2008, sought a narrow vehicle to fit inside it.
Special Operations Command (SOCOM) plans to wrap up a yearlong proof-of-concept evaluation of the General Dynamics Flyer 60 in July and finalize its requirements. The goal is to post a request for proposals in late 2016 and a competitive award for 68 vehicles in 2017. Program officials said the Flyer 60 was evaluated as a representative of the class of light, commercially available vehicles.
"The evaluation wasn't to determine whether the Flyer 60 is the vehicle, but rather does a vehicle like this satisfy an ITV [internally transportable vehicle] capability gap," said Marine Corps Col. James Utsler, program manager for the family of special operations vehicles. "During this whole evaluation, AFSOC had been revising its capability production document."
