The 18 Jeep-like vehicles designed and manufactured by Navistar will be used by emergency response teams across Canada when they respond to calls. The International MXT Armoured Personnel Carriers are designed to maximize safety during a wide range of incidents including hostage takings, armed standoffs, barricaded persons and search and rescue missions.
Daniel Webster, president of Navistar Defence Canada, said the company has been working on the contract for “years.”
“The RCMP is one of the most iconic fleets in terms of policing in Canada, and we were privileged to be selected,” he said.
The contract is the company’s first MXT vehicle sale to the police and security sector, but the MXT platform is currently being used in Afghanistan by the British Army.
“We could not use just any vehicle,” stated RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson in a press release. “We needed a very specifically designed, multi-use armoured vehicle tailored to the unique needs of a national police force in Canada.”
The TAVs can be used in all kinds of terrain and climates from coast to coast, and provide a 360-degree observation tower, advanced ballistic and explosive protection, with off-road capabilities.
Also including gun ports, sentry hatches, fire detection and infrared night lighting, the vehicles can carry a full emergency response team plus 1,000 pounds of extra weight for tools and additional equipment.
The company is the Canadian arm of the American truck maker Navistar International Corp. and is headquartered in Kanata.
Manufactured in West Point, Miss. where the MXT assembly line is located, the TAVs have an expected life span of 15 years and will be serviced in Canada by the approximately 25 employees working out of the Kanata office.
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