BAE Systems announced its Beowulf vehicle won the U.S. Army’s competition for its Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV) program. The company landed a $278 million contract for production units, spare parts, and contractor logistics support.

About Beowulf

Beowulf is an unarmored, tracked, and highly versatile vehicle for carrying personnel and a variety of payloads in either of its two compartments. It 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. This marks the first sale of Beowulf. The vehicle is based on its sister BvS10 armored variant, currently in service with several European nations.

“Beowulf is a highly capable solution to meet the US 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's articulated mobility system provides optimal maneuverability across varying surfaces, according to a press release. Its modular design can be reconfigured for multiple missions, such as logistical support, disaster and humanitarian relief, search and rescue, and other missions as required.

Its large windows and spacious cabin make Beowulf suitable to the tasks for the CATV program, which include search and rescue, defense support to civilian authorities, and homeland defense.

Beowulf successfully completed the prototype evaluation phase of the CATV program earlier this year in Alaska. It performed in multiple tasks while remaining fully mission capable. The testing included amphibious operations, navigating terrain with varying levels of complexity, starting and operating in extreme cold weather, and user assessment by soldiers.

Beowulf is built by BAE Systems Hägglunds in northern Sweden. The platform includes several key components from U.S. suppliers, such as its engine, transmission, and hydraulic system. The CATV program will replace the legacy fleet of Small Unit Support Vehicles (SUSVs), also built by BAE Systems Hägglunds, and known internationally as the BV206. The BV206 has been in service globally, including with the U.S. Armed Forces, since the early 1980s.