U.S. defense company Textron Systems has announced the award of a contract to produce Mobile Strike Force Vehicle (MSFV) Commando Select armored personnel carrier, a platform effectively identical to well-known M1117 Guardian vehicle but marketed for foreign governments and private customers. The contract is linked to Ukraine-related security assistance.
The deal is valued at approximately $163.4 million and covers the production of 65 MSFV vehicles as well as one year of spare parts support. Based on a rough calculation, the unit cost comes to about $2.5 million per vehicle, including associated support elements.
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Formally, the contract falls under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. However, available evidence suggests the agreement was concluded earlier than Textron Systems' public announcement. In September 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense reported a contract with Textron Systems for armored vehicles for Ukraine with an identical total value, strongly indicating this is the same procurement.
That earlier Pentagon report stated that deliveries were scheduled to be completed by November 30, 2028. Funding for the contract was allocated from the USAI budget for fiscal year 2024, which ended on September 30, 2024, highlighting the long lead times typical for U.S.-funded defense production programs.
Commando Select carrier is, in practice, the same vehicle as M1117 Guardian. The MSFV variant was originally developed to meet the requirements of the Afghan National Army, but due to bureaucratic and procurement factors, the vehicles intended for Afghanistan ultimately received the U.S. military designation M1117.
In terms of specifications, Commando Select vehicle has a combat weight of 18.1 tons, a maximum road speed of up to 100 km/h, and a cruising range of approximately 644 kilometers. The vehicle is operated by a three-person crew and can carry up to seven infantry troops in the rear compartment. It also features enhanced protection against mines and improvised explosive devices.
The platform can be configured in several variants, including a turreted version armed with a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher and a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, a medical evacuation vehicle, and a self-propelled 120 mm mortar carrier. For Ukraine, deliveries are expected primarily in the medical evacuation configuration and the turreted combat version.
It is worth noting that M1117 Guardian vehicles are already in active service with Ukrainian forces. The transfer of 250 units was announced back in 2022, but the first visual confirmations of their use only appeared in 2024, likely due to the time required for refurbishment, transportation, and crew training before deployment.
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