BAE Systems' Beowulf picked by US Army as new tracked arctic troop carrier

BAE Systems has won the U.S. Army's competition for its Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV) program, receiving a $278 million contract for producing its Beowulf vehicle, according to a statement by the firm.

A highly capable solution

"Beowulf is a highly capable solution to meet the U.S. Army's requirement for Arctic operations. We look forward to providing our soldiers operating in challenging terrain and environments with this highly capable vehicle," said Mark Signorelli, vice president of business development at BAE Systems Platforms & Services. "We have been maturing and modernizing cold weather all-terrain capabilities for decades, bringing advanced capabilities to the United States and numerous other countries. This contract means we will continue to do so for many years to come."

Beowulf has already undergone the prototype evaluation phase of the CATV program earlier this year in Alaska that included amphibious operations, navigating terrain with varying levels of complexity, starting and operating in extremely cold weather, and, most critically, user assessment by soldiers.

BAE Systems describes the vehicle as following:

"Beowulf is an unarmored, tracked, and highly versatile vehicle for carrying personnel and a variety of payloads in either of its two compartments. Beowulf can traverse snow, ice, rock, sand, mud, and swamp conditions and can operate in steep mountain environments. Its amphibious feature also allows it to swim in flooded areas or coastal waters."

The vehicle is based upon battle-proven driveline technologies that underpin the BvS10 family (Beowulf's sister family of armored variants) of vehicles in service worldwide, which means it offers an outstanding pedigree of reliability, durability, and high system availability. It has also been engineered to carry up to 14 personnel and approximately an 8.8 tons (8,000 kg) payload at 40.3 mph (65 Km/h).

The event marks the first sale of Beowulf.

A busy time

It has been a busy time for BAE Systems. In July, the company unveiled designs of two new drone systems at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RAIT), the Royal Air Force's annual air show event.

The new drones can fly at speeds up to 0.5 Mach and has a service altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 m). Launched from a rail-type catapult, the drones do not need a runway to be deployed and are recovered using a parachute kept in their containerized storage system. When in the air, the drones can carry a maximum payload of 88 pounds (40 kg) and remain airborne for up to four hours.

Meanwhile, in August, the company announced that the U.K.'s upcoming sixth-generation fighter jet, the Tempest, will be designed using new digital techniques. There will be computer-simulated digital twins of the jet, as well as 3D-printed models that are meant to help speed up the project and simplify it.

Wherever there are military advances, BAE Systems seems to be at the forefront of them making it a powerful and profitable company.