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29 Dec 22. New US Army light tank under construction. General Dynamics Land Systems began assembling the Army’s Mobile Protected Firepower system in November, after being selected in June to build the light tank.
The first new combat vehicle to join the force in nearly four decades, the MPF system is meant to improve mobility, protection and direct-fire capabilities on the battlefield, originally reported by Army Times sister publication Defense News
The system includes a new chassis – or base frame – design. The turret is new, said Kevin Vernagus, the GDLS director for the MPF system, while working to maintain an interior and controls like an Abrams tank.
The service expects to spend about $6 billion over the course of MPF’s procurement process. Estimates suggest that the total life-cycle cost of the program will total around $17 billion.
The first production of MPF will be delivered to the service in late 2023, with an initial delivery of vehicles. However, the contract stipulates that the Army is allowed to purchase up to 70 more over the course of early production for a total of more than $1.1 billion.
Beating out competitor BAE Systems, GDLS delivered 12 prototypes to be evaluated by soldiers in the 82nd Airborne Division. Despite positive marks compared to its competitors, GDLS is coordinating with the Army to fix some issues with overheating experienced at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
Army leaders plan on buying 504 vehicles meant to be in the service’s inventory for at least 30 years. Most of the procurement should be finished by 2035. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Army Times)
22 Dec 22. Japan lays out near-term plan for Patria AMVs procurement. The Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) has outlined a five-year plan to procure Finnish company Patria’s Armoured Modular Vehicles (AMVs) for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s (JGSDF’s) wheeled armoured personnel carrier (WAPC) programme. A spokesperson for the MoD told Janes that, under the newly formulated “defence buildup programme”, the MoD is planning to procure approximately 140 armoured vehicles in five years. In the fiscal year 2023, the MoD plans to procure 29 vehicles worth JPY23.2bn (USD176m), the spokesperson added. “We [MoD] are planning to purchase and test a variant of AMV as a reference in the fiscal year 2023, but the specific number of vehicles to be procured is still under consideration and we cannot provide an answer at this point,” the spokesperson said. On 9 December, the MoD’s Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA) selected Patria 8×8 AMV to replace the JGSDF’s ageing fleet of Komatsu Type 96 8×8 APCs. Patria proposed the licenced production of the AMVs in Japan with a private sector company, ATLA added. (Source: Janes)
29 Dec 22. New York ANG receives new maintenance platform for C-17 aircraft. The new platform has been designed and developed under a $1.5m National Guard Bureau investment. The New York Air National Guard’s (ANG) 105th Airlift Wing (AW) has received a new maintenance platform for its C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft fleet. The new platform was delivered and assembled on 21 December, at Stewart Air National Guard Base (ANGB), which houses a total of nine C-17 aircraft assigned under 105th AW.
Manufactured by Cv International (CVI), the platform has been developed as part of a $1.5m National Guard Bureau investment.
Around eight senior ANG maintenance personnel from across the country were deployed to support the designing process of the new platform.
105th Maintenance Squadron inspection section supervisor senior master sergeant John E Tobin III said: “Initially, we went down to Martinsburg, Virginia, and we did a design phase where we came up with ideas … from our past experience.
“From that point, CVI went back to the drawing board. Then we went back to Martinsburg for the first article test. There were a few modifications that had to be made at that point, which are implemented in the stands that we received.”
Designed ergonomically, the new platform has a modular layout that can easily and rapidly undergo minor modifications, repairs and inspections.
The new capability is expected to save the overall maintenance time and resources, while boosting the safety and airworthiness of the C-17 transport aircraft fleet at Stewart ANGB.
CVI claimed that the maintainers can expect a reduced maintenance time of up to 40%. The platform also minimises a technician’s fatigue by around 97%.
It features various new technologies, such as LED lighting and anti-slip surfaces, making the maintenance process safer for the associated technicians.
The technicians can also adjust the systems provided on the platform to easily access the under-structure of a particular aircraft. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
21 Dec 22. Slovenia shows 38 JLTVs armed with CROWS after ordering 47 more of the vehicles. The US Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal awarded Oshkosh a USD543m order for 1,681 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), including for a Foreign Military Sale to Slovenia, the company announced on 16 December. The Slovenian government said in a press release on 13 December that it had ordered 47 JLTVs earlier in the month, bringing the total it will receive to 129 by the end of 2024.
The Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) presented 38 JLTVs delivered in 2021 at Edvard Peperko Barracks in Ljubljana on 13 December, as well as 40 new Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles’ HX 8×8 tactical trucks originally intended for the Bundeswehr delivered instead to the SAF by the German government under a 21 September declaration of intent to compensate Slovenia for equipment donated to Ukraine.
The ceremony also showed that the SAF has completed the process of equipping its JLTVs with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace’s M153 Protector Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) armed with an M2A1 .50-calibre machine gun. (Source: Janes)
26 Dec 22. No realistic timescale: the UK’s Ajax armoured vehicle.
Timelines remain opaque for the UK Ajax armoured vehicle with further trials and analysis potentially extending into 2025, with a programme reset on the horizon.
As with the Universe’s faster-than-light expansion, the horizon for the UK’s Ajax armoured vehicle programme service entry remains always over the next hill, forever chasing stages moving inexorably to the right.
In the final few days of 2022, a timeline update for the troubled programme, intended to deliver 589 platforms into service with the British Army, revealed that Reliability Growth Trials and analysis, due to begin in January 2023, could run until Q1 2025.
The data was published in a UK parliamentary written answer on 21 December, one of a series that UK Government ministers had to field on the programme before the end of the year. According to the UK’s recent Defence Equipment Plan 2022-2032 there was no “realistic timescale” for when Ajax and its variants could enter service.
This future capability is a key element to the restructure of the British Army, initially into the so-called Strike Brigades and more recently into Brigade Combat Teams, a term seemingly lifted from the US Army vocabulary. The first prototype Ajax vehicle was unveiled in 2015, more than seven years ago.
Statements by UK officials in October failed to provide any clarity as to when Ajax could enter service, with its use “remaining limited under safety notices” while work was carried out to resolve noise and vibration issues that have plagued the development of the platform. Further, it was stated that it was “not possible to say” when Ajax could enter service.
By mid-October this year a pause in testing had been lifted, enabling some limited User Validation Trials to take place, with the successful completion of this stage allowing the programme to move towards the Reliability Growth Trials.
In a programme analysis in the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Defence Equipment Plan released in December this year, it was reiterated that “technical issues with noise and vibration” had resulted in delays to the Armoured Cavalry Programme, under which Ajax is to be delivered. The resumption of trials in October was carried out in part to assess the effectiveness of the modifications proposed by programme prime, US defence OEM General Dynamics.
Further, it was expected that Ajax would be taken forward for formal approval to reset the programme, following what the MoD described as “the effective resolution of the noise and vibration concerns”.
The UK MoD placed a £3.5bn ($5.56bn) order for 589 Ajax vehicles in six variants in September 2014, although the programme, earlier described as a military-off-the-shelf vehicle, has its origins from the late-2000s in the Scout SV programme. In March 2010 General Dynamics UK was selected as preferred bidder against the BAE Systems CV90, and later that same year MoD awarded a £500m ($780m) contract to GDUK for prototype development, based on the Spanish ASCOD armoured vehicle. (Source: army-technology.com)
21 Dec 22. Transport of the wounded ~ a new vehicle for the Bundeswehr medical service was presented at the Bundeswehr Central Hospital in Koblenz. On December 20, 2022, a new vehicle for the Bundeswehr medical service was presented at the Bundeswehr Central Hospital in Koblenz. The carrier vehicle is based on an IVECO Eurocargo and has already proven itself as a civilian intensive care transport vehicle in the medical service.
The vehicle is designed for a crew of three and is intended to replace the previous ambulances and mobile medical squads based on the two-ton Unimog. A total of 294 units are procured, of which 241 are intended for the medical service, 41 for the army and six for the navy. Between 50 and 70 units will be delivered in 2023.
State-of-the-art patient transport: With a permissible total mass of 15,000 kg and an output of 280hp, the vehicle can also handle difficult terrain and enable fast transport. The maximum speed is over 80 km/h. The 6-cylinder diesel engine with Euro VI CRE standard ensures a reliable and low-emission drive. Due to its complete off-road capability, the vehicle can also be used in areas that are difficult to access and thus offers valuable support in the various Bundeswehr operations.
The new vehicle is characterised by its modern box body. From the defibrillator and emergency ventilators to the mobile, portable ultrasound device, everything that is required for patient care is available. A particular highlight is the fully automated stretcher table, which makes it possible to treat the wounded on all standard stretchers at ground level without any additional aids.
Wide range of communication: In addition, the vehicle is equipped with a wide range of communication options. This includes the BOS official radio for communication with civil rescue and disaster relief workers as well as the police, military radio and command equipment such as Tetrapol, the army command information system and satellite telephones.
According to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ulrich Baumgärtner, inspector of the Bundeswehr medical service, “the vehicle heralds a new era in patient transport.” Thanks to the combination of modern technology and medical equipment, the vehicle offers optimal conditions for transporting the wounded and enables the medical staff to treat the patients quickly and effectively. (Source: www.joint-forces.com)
27 Dec 22. Erklärung BMVg zu Pressemeldungen Schützenpanzer PUMA / BMVg Statement On PUMA Armoured Personnel Carrier Press Reports. In isolated media reports it is currently shown that the retrofitting of the PUMA infantry fighting vehicle, which was confirmed by the budget committee on December 14, 2022, was recommended by the BMVg despite the warnings of the Federal Audit Office and contrary to better knowledge.
The Bundesministerium der Verteidigung [Federal Ministry of Defence] explains:-
- We have taken note of the comments of the Federal Court of Auditors 2022 and take every comment very seriously. Such comments are regularly included in the decision-making processes in the Federal Ministry of Defence.
- Due to the diverse operational tests, field tests, certifications and exercises, all those involved (BAAINBw, users and industry) have also gained extensive and valuable practical experience, especially under realistic and operational conditions.
- The army inspector confirmed the tactical combat capability of the PUMA in February 2021. During the test phase (March to June 2022), the troops gained further insight into the capabilities already implemented.
- The results of the exercise session in September 2022 in the Army’s firing practice centre illustrated the high level of reliability, both from the point of view of the user and the military maintenance personnel. Last but not least, these results are particularly meaningful because the systems are operated with high intensity against the background of the current geopolitical situation.
- The minister commissioned an analysis by the end of the year. The consolidated result remains to be seen.
- The decision to suspend the retrofitting of the 1st lot and a possible procurement of a 2nd lot is valid until further notice.
The benchmark is:-
- The PUMA must also prove to be stable beyond the current repairs.
- The troops must be able to rely on weapon systems being robust and reliable in combat.
- The PUMA system only has a future in the Bundeswehr under these conditions.
Quotes BM’in and Facts:-
- “If I have to order more Pumas or modernise the existing ones, I need to be sure that they are operational and function reliably. I will only order new Pumas when these conditions are met. That’s why I’ve now stopped retrofitting.” (BM’in WamS of December 25, 2022)
- “There have always been difficulties with the Puma in recent years. I made it clear to the industry: If the Bundeswehr is to continue to rely on this armoured personnel carrier, then the technical problems must be eliminated as quickly as possible. The industry wants to do that in a few weeks. In addition – and this is much more important – I need a clear perspective that the system can be used reliably for national and alliance defence in the future. The troops need robust and stable equipment that works reliably even under harsh operating conditions.” (BM’in WamS of December 25, 2022)
- The Bundeswehr has a book inventory of 350 PUMA infantry fighting vehicles, 42 of them in the VJTF configuration. (Source: www.joint-forces.com)
21 Dec 22. USN Successfully Demonstrated Unmanned Cargo Delivery Systems for Ship at Sea. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) recently demonstrated multiple unmanned systems in a first-of-its-kind mission to move supplies to ships at sea without the use of manned aircraft during an event at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in St. Inigoes, Maryland.
The demo, held in collaboration with the Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems program (PMA-263), employed unmanned vehicles to transport cargo weighing less than 50 lbs., which accounts for 90% of Navy logistics deliveries.
“We are seeing an increase in manned and unmanned logistics,” said Col. Victor Argobright, PMA-263 program manager. “For the Marine Corps, the Commandant is enthusiastic about where we are going with unmanned logistics, and is beginning conversations about operations and contested environments. The Navy is currently identifying areas where unmanned logistics would be a critical enabler to operations at sea, and the Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS is a great demonstration of this emerging requirement.”
During the event, industry partners Skyways Air Transportation, Inc., and Martin UAV operated their unmanned systems through long-range flights from ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore, and shore-to-ship situations, carrying a variety of objects to mimic critical supplies. Both systems successfully delivered cargo over 200 nautical miles onto a moving ship underway.
“[For the future], we are looking at continued long-term experimentation, how the fleet operates, and how we get the technology out to our Sailors,” said Tony Schmidt, NAWCAD’s Experimentation Office director.
The unmanned systems under consideration are capable of vertical take-off-and-landing to operate from most naval ships at sea and stations ashore, as well as systems that do not require dedicated launch and recovery equipment.
NAWCAD acquired the original Blue Water UAS prototype in 2019 to demonstrate long-range unmanned naval ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore cargo transport. Navy test pilots and engineers have since worked with industry partners to develop a system that best meets maritime requirements. (Source: ASD Network)
21 Dec 22. Czech Republic Sweden and BAE Sign MoU for New Infantry Fighting Vehicles. The Czech Republic, Sweden, and BAE Systems have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that provides a framework for negotiations of an agreement to deliver CV90 combat vehicles to the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic.
Contract negotiations will take place in the first half of 2023.
Under the terms of the MoU, the governments of Sweden and the Czech Republic will cooperate on military affairs including training, support and ongoing education for troops and equipment operators, as well as collaboration on the acquisition and support of CV90 combat vehicles. The agreement also lays out the possibility of future collaboration between the two nations on the development of upgrades, new technology and on-going support for the CV90.
The MoU specifies that the ongoing negotiations with BAE Systems will include: reaching an agreement for the purchase of 210 infantry fighting vehicles; meeting the need for indigenous long term support for the vehicles; and, delivering on a requirement of a commitment for a robust Czech industrial participation program.
“We are very pleased with the progress we have made in our discussions with the Czech Republic and the Kingdom of Sweden,” said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, president of BAE Systems Hägglunds in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, which designs and produces the CV90. “We look forward to concluding contract negotiations in the new year, with the commitment to supporting the Czech Armed Forces in enhancing their defense and combat capabilities with the modern, combat-proven CV90.”
Under the proposed agreement, the Czech Army will receive the newest iteration of the CV90, known as the CV90MkIV, with the latest advanced capabilities and digital technology. The vehicle combines improved battlefield speed and handling with an upgraded electronic architecture to support future growth and meet the needs of the evolving battlefield.
The Czech Republic will become the ninth member of the CV90 User Club – which includes countries which have CV90s in service with their armed forces. The User Club already consists of eight countries, five of them members of NATO: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, as well as the newest member, Slovakia. (Source: ASD Network)
22 Dec 22. Industry readies for key US Army Bradley replacement decision.
Industry is repositioning as the U.S. Army’s critical effort to buy new infantry fighting vehicles moves toward a key decision in 2023.
The service is set to move into the detailed design and prototyping phases of its competition to replace the 40-year-old Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. To advance one of its major modernization efforts, the Army anticipates awarding a contract around April 2023 that will see three teams design and build the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, or OMFV.
The OMFV program, if successful, will be among the few major combat vehicle acquisition efforts since the Stryker combat vehicle program began in 2002. OMFV seeks to replace Bradley IFVs, which went into service in 1981.
The OMFV effort is part of a major modernization push by the Army with a goal of fielding highly capable weapons systems in the 2030 timeframe to maintain overmatch against high-end, near-peer adversaries Russia and China. The next-generation combat vehicle is a top priority, second only to long-range precision fires capabilities.
This is the second attempt to hold a competition for OMFV after the service’s first try ended up with just one bid. The Army canceled that competition and worked on a plan to better foster a robust competition.
The Army dropped the requirement to provide a physical bid sample at the outset and mapped out a phased effort that begins with an initial design phase, moves into a detailed design phase and is eventually followed by prototyping, testing and production.
OMFV, estimated to be a $45 bn effort, could also prove whether the Army’s new way of moving through development works. The service used to spend five to seven years developing requirements followed by another five to seven years developing the capability.
“The Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle is a good example [of] how the Army is approaching modernization and its acquisition efforts differently than we have in the past,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said in a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the budget in the spring of 2021.
“Unlike the future combat system, for example, where we loaded up a lot of requirements very early in the process and were perhaps somewhat unrealistic about what was technologically possible, with OMFV, we’re trying to do it in a much more incremental, iterative way,” she said.
Teaming up
The Army, while it hasn’t cemented its requirements, has said it wants a hybrid vehicle featuring a 50mm weapon system and wants to move from a three-person to a two-person crew, with six seats for infantry troops.
The detailed design phase is slated for fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2024; the prototyping phase is anticipated to begin in FY25.
Bids to compete in these two phases were due Nov. 1, and five teams announced their participation — the same five the Army picked to develop design concepts in the previous phase, which recently ended.
Teams led by prime contractors General Dynamics Land Systems, Oshkosh Defense, BAE Systems, American Rheinmetall Vehicles and Point Blank Enterprises all met the deadline for consideration by the Army to build the OMFV.
General Dynamics Land Systems is continuing to work with GM Defense, Applied Intuition, a specialist in modeling and simulating autonomy for the automobile industry, and AeroVironment, which is providing its Switchblade loitering munitions for integration into the design. The company also continues to work with General Dynamics Mission Systems to incorporate networks, radio gear and cyber capabilities into the design.
Ray Kiernan, program director for next-generation combat vehicles at General Dynamics Land Systems, told Defense News the contractor is teaming with Cummins on power pack integration to include the mobility system as well as electrical power generation and management across the vehicle.
Oshkosh Defense continues to partner with South Korean defense company Hanwha, which is providing the chassis design based on its Redback infantry fighting vehicle. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, QinetiQ and Plasan will provide Oshkosh technology from turrets to armor to autonomy, as well as command-and-control capabilities. And Pratt Miller, which Oshkosh bought in 2021, is also a teammate, according to Pat Williams, the company’s vice president and general manager for the OMFV program.
American Rheinmetall Vehicles has added Anduril to its team. Anduril’s Lattice software was originally designed to counter drones and other threats, but it has wider applicability for sharing battlefield information and data at a tactical level, according to Matt Warnick, managing director of American Rheinmetall Vehicles.
The company is also working with Textron, Raytheon Technologies, L3Harris Technologies and Allison Transmission, as it did in the previous concept design phase.
Point Blank Enterprises has made several major changes to its team by swapping out its powertrain partner and turret supplier. The company originally teamed with Keshik Mobile Power Systems on hybrid powertrain technology, but the relationship with Keshik “went sideways on us,” according to Mark Edwards, Point Blank’s executive vice president of military sales and business development.
After Keshik attempted to get out of its contract with Point Blank midway through 2022 and, according to court documents, allegedly tried to poach subcontractors to compete separately, Point Blank successfully sued Keshik in summer 2022. A court decision rendered Keshik unable to compete against Point Blank with any other team in the OMFV competition going forward.
Edwards said Point Blank’s team has brought in RENK America to provide a powertrain solution. RENK, a German company, opened up shop in Muskegon, Michigan, in 2021 to build advanced mobility systems. Cummins will remain the engine supplier.
Additionally, Point Blank swapped out turret manufacturer John Cockerill with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace. Palantir, a data analytics specialist supplying the Army with its Distributed Common Ground System, is also a Point Blank teammate.
Bradley-maker BAE Systems announced Nov. 30 that it was partnering with Elbit Systems of America, Curtiss-Wright Corp. and QinetiQ on its design. Elbit is providing a 50mm unmanned turret, while Curtiss-Wright is contributing to the team’s modular open-architecture design. QinetiQ is providing its experience in developing hybrid-drive capability — and specifically its modular E-X-Drive transmission. (Source: Defense News)
23 Dec 22. With three prototypes in hand, Marines ready for recon vehicle testing. The U.S. Marine Corps is one step closer to replacing its aging light armored vehicles, with the final prototype in the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle competition now in Marine Corps custody.
Three companies are vying to build the ARV, which will replace the 1980s-era LAVs before they leave the service in the 2030s.
The Marine Corps has previously struggled to design an LAV replacement, but the ongoing Force Design 2030 modernization has helped clarify the role of the ARV and the tools it needs. Last year, the service awarded competitive prototyping contracts to Textron and General Dynamics Land Systems, and both companies have now turned their vehicles in for testing that’ll span the first half of 2023.
BAE Systems has worked with the Marines since April under a modification to its contract for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle. The company has integrated the Marines’ suite of command, control, communications, computer and unmanned aerial system (C4/UAS) systems onto the ACV to offer another potential LAV replacement.
Here’s a closer look at the three companies’ offerings:
General Dynamics Land Systems
General Dynamics Land Systems is the only company to participate in both the 2019 science and technology demonstrator phase and the competitive prototyping phase, and it pitches its vehicle as using proven components from other programs in its portfolio.
Phil Skuta, GDLS’s Marine Corps and Navy business development director, told Defense News the company’s prototype draws on investments the company has made in three areas: the Katalyst advanced electronic architecture, artificial intelligence capability, and autonomy and robotics.
General Dynamics Land Systems first built a prototype vehicle in 2017 using its own money, Skuta said. It worked under the S&T contract from 2019 to 2021, he said, and on Dec. 23 turned in a prototype vehicle under the current contract.
During that time, he said, the Marines’ have changed their focus from kinetic lethality to enhanced surveillance capability and the ability to view and contribute to a common battlefield picture. The swim capability for the vehicle is more robust under the current contract compared to the S&T contract, Skuta said — asking for ocean swim capability rather than the legacy LAV’s riverine capabilities to reflect the Marines’ evolved plans for how they will use the vehicle. He said General Dynamics has ensured its offering has kept up with these changes to fully meet the current requirements.
Skuta added that, between building the S&T demonstrator and the prototype, General Dynamics Land Systems sought to increase the commonality in systems and components between its ARV proposal and other vehicles it’s currently building, including the Army’s mobile protected firepower program.
Textron
Textron touts its Cottonmouth ARV as a clean-sheet design crafted with the Marines’ current and future needs in mind.
The company did not participate in the S&T demonstrator, but Textron was tracking the Marines’ evolving vision for ARV and built an “alpha prototype” using internal research and development dollars, David Phillips, Textron Systems’ senior vice president of land and sea systems, told Defense News.
Textron sent the alpha prototype to the Nevada Automotive Test Center early on for performance, durability and reliability data, and brought the vehicle back again after winning a contract with the Marine Corps in 2021.
Phillips said Textron used its work in other areas — including the landing craft air cushion it builds that will carry four ARVs from an amphibious ship to the shore, and unmanned systems that will be integrated with ARV to expand its reach — to inform Cottonmouth.
Throughout 2022, Textron has been refining its vehicle design, “realizing where we may have over-designed, realizing where we may have under-designed in the [alpha] prototype, and making those corrections,” Phillips said.
The company finished building the prototype in August and, after several months of contractor testing, turned it over to the Marine Corps Dec. 1 at NATC, according to company statements.
BAE Systems
BAE Systems did not participate in the ARV competitive prototyping phase but has a separate potential path to building the Marines’ next vehicle as the builder of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle.
Mark Brinkman, the director of Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle for BAE, told Defense News the base chassis is already in production at the company’s York, Pa., plant.
Brinkman said BAE’s vehicle is larger than those of competitors and cannot fit four to a landing craft air cushion —but the company is pitching the Marines on a slightly different way to operate the ARVs. Rather than being moved on connectors like traditional Marine Corps ground vehicles, the ACV C4/UAS would swim from the ship.
The larger ACV would carry more capability per vehicle, allowing the Marines to consider using fewer vehicles to have the same recon/counter-recon reach, Brinkman said.
BAE has received two full-rate production contracts for ACV since being selected in 2018 for the program. It is building personnel and command variants, is designing a 30mm cannon variant and may design a recovery variant in the future.
Brinkman said an ACV was outfitted with the government-furnished systems and tested at NATC over the summer. It will now head to Camp Pendleton, Calif., for additional government testing in the first half of 2023 alongside the two other prototypes. (Source: Defense News)
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