IMHO..only speculation.. a crap shoot... but... hmmmm... I will not be surprised to hear the name Navistar mentioned by AFTC.
The Army has yet to final the SBIR Summary proposal for Phase 2 on the portal. It's about the only one from that cohort that has not gone final. They are chewin' on that for a long time...
As i consider the logistics of commercializing a high pressure common rail pump..it seems more and more likely, to me, that the Army would approve the pump for use and AFT would contract with Navistar to sell the pump as original equimpent on the engines sold to Army. Army would somehow funnel the money through Navistar to AFT.
With the sole source provider provision that accompanies the SBIR award, this would allow AFTC to provide it to all DoD engine providers without each having to individually contract up with AFTC...they have an umbrella contract for others interested in purchasing the product courtesy of SBIR.
I can't imagine Army buying them and then outsourcing retrofitting new engines and i think Navistar provides a lot of the new Army diesel engines.
I do not see a direct purchase for delivery from AFTC to Army.
This would also require a concurrent contract with Bosche and AFTC if they continue to use that pump for their starting point.
Possibly the "many interested" are the many engine manufacturers who would use it OEM on new diesel engines.
Although, Army might buy direct from AFTC to retrofit existing engines and just train Army mechanics to change them out.
Just a thought... a perhaps...
IMHO..but Id be willing to bet a few candy bars on it (skybars, please)
IMHO!
GL
In the near future, there will be two types of investors; those who understood the potential of AFTC ... and those who wish they took the time to understand the potential of AFTC.
