The U.S. Marine Corps today awarded Navistar Defense a contract worth more than $752 million to produce a lighter, smaller and more mobile variant of its International MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) family of vehicles.

The MaxxPro Dash maintains the survivability system used on all MaxxPro MRAP variants while also allowing for greater mobility in a smaller, lighter weight vehicle optimized for Afghanistan operations. A smaller turning radius and higher torque to weight ratio are among the improvements to mobility. MaxxPro Dash is also capable of accommodating additional uparmoring. Supportability and maintainability are maximized with a high-degree of commonality of parts among all MaxxPro variants.

"The Dash embodies everything we do: survivability, mobility and adaptability," said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense. "The MaxxPro MRAP vehicle platform can rapidly adapt to changing battlefield requirements."

Production of the MaxxPro Dash will begin in October at the company's West Point, Miss., plant with delivery of 822 units to be completed by February 2009. The vehicle will also be equipped with the MaxxForce D engine.

The MaxxPro Dash is the sixth variant in 12 months from Navistar's MaxxPro MRAP vehicle platform. Since the initial contract in May 2007, Navistar has won more than $3 billion in contracts to produce a total of 5,222 MRAP vehicles. Navistar's MRAP platform includes the MaxxPro, MaxxPro Plus, MaxxPro ambulance, MaxxPro MEAP, MaxxPro Air Force and MaxxPro Dash.

The MaxxPro Dash will join Navistar's Medium Tactical Vehicles already in Afghanistan. More than 2,900 vehicles are in service with the Afghanistan National Police, Afghan National Army and the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, and in May 2008 Navistar was awarded a $1.3 billion follow-on contract for more than 7,000 additional units.