Havoc 8x8 (Patria AMV) aces test...

via MarketWatch

DALLAS, Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin's [NYSE: LMT] Havoc 8x8 Armored Modular Vehicle successfully completed the Nevada Automotive Test Center's challenging Butte Mountain Trail course, one of the most severe off-road test tracks in the world. Teamed with Patria, Havoc is Lockheed Martin's entry in the U.S. Marine Corps' Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) Phase I program.
The mile-long course has nearly 1,000 feet of elevation change and extremely rugged, rocky stretches that have damaged and disabled numerous vehicles over the years.
"Over the course of 10 days of testing, we performed more than 40 test runs up and down the mountain while demonstrating the vehicle's ride quality and crew comfort," said Scott Greene, vice president of Ground Vehicles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Not once did the Havoc fail. And we were told numerous times that this course has stopped many vehicles over the years, including tanks."
The testing, funded and conducted by Lockheed Martin, was undertaken to validate the company's solution to the Marine Corps' need for a survivable and robust wheeled, amphibious vehicle. The Marine Corps will conduct its own series of automotive, amphibious and protection tests of 16 Havoc vehicles once the ACV program is under way. The program's Request for Proposal is expected in early 2015
"Our passengers were complementary of the Havoc's handling, ride quality, acceleration and braking throughout the demo while at a fully armored weight," said Patrick Shepherd, Havoc program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "The most highly appreciated design features they noticed were how quiet the vehicle interior was and the smoothness of the Havoc ride throughout the demonstration."

Read it all here.

Remember the vid from yesterday?  The Commandant talking about pressurizing industry to get a vehicle into the field as soon as possible?

The ironic thing is that industry was, has been, and is ready.  The Marine Corps wasn't, isn't and probably won't be for quite a while.