Web Page sponsored by MILLBROOK
Tel: +44 (0) 1525 408408
www.millbrook.co.uk/military
———————————————————————-
25 Nov 15. Australian Army’s School of Armour receives upgraded M1A1 Abrams tanks. The Australian Army’s School of Armour at Puckapunyal, Victoria, has received the first ten upgraded M1A1 Abrams tanks as part of the Tank Technical Refresh and Remediation Programme.
The deliveries are the result of a $59m programme carried out by the Land Systems Division (LSD) within the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG), alongside the Army and Joint Logistics Unit, Victoria (JLU-V). According to the Australian Department of Defense, the army approved the programme in 2013 to enhance the army’s 59 M1A1 Abrams tanks and seven M88A2 Hercules armoured recovery vehicles.
CASG Land Systems head major general Paul McLachlan said: “The implementation of the Refresh programme, combined with a fleet rotation that aims to even out usage across the fleet, is expected to allow the tanks to be supported through to life of type.”
By the end of the programme in 2018, the issues in the baseline configuration of the tanks and M88s will be addressed.
JLU-V’s Transfield workforce in Bandiana will be responsible for the work on the M1A1 Tank fleet, while activities on the Hercules vehicles will be undertaken by a BAE Systems team at Joint Logistic Unit North, in Darwin, starting in early 2017.
The tank programme team at LSD has already completed the modernisation of all M1A1 Tank simulation at the School of Armour and 1st Armoured Regiment. The programme on the M1A1’s AGT1500 turbine engine is expected to commence soon. An upgraded variant of the US Army’s combat-proven M1Abrams third-generation MBT, the M1A1 Abrams features improved armament, protection and electronics systems. (Source: army-technology.com)
24 Nov 15. BAE, SAIC Named as Finalists in Marines ACV Competition.
BAE Systems and SAIC beat out three other manufacturers in a competition to build engineering and manufacturing development prototype vehicles for the Marine Corps’ next-generation Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), which will ferry troops ashore and into battle, the service announced Tuesday.
BAE’s contract is for $103.8m, while SAIC’s is for $121.5m. Each company will build 16 eight-wheeled vehicles to be tested over the next two years to replace the Marine Corps’ aging Vietnam-era amphibious assault vehicle. The service will then pick a winner in 2018 to deliver 204 vehicles by 2020.
The initial contract covers building 13 vehicles due to available funding and then the Marine Corps will exercise options to build three more vehicles.
The companies competing for contracts to build prototypes included Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, SAIC and Michigan-based Advanced Defense Vehicle Systems.
According to John Garner, Advanced Amphibious Assault program manager, some “subfactors” established in the request for proposals played out in the service’s decision. Being able to operate well in water and on land were equal to requirements to carry personnel, as well as protection, he said, “so the intent was to balance the capabilities.”
But he added, “We did have individual emphasis areas that would give extra credit, so to speak, all the other things being equal, and those emphasis areas were weighted toward the amphibious capabilities of the vehicle because there were some very capable ground vehicles out there, but fundamentally this vehicle has to be an amphibious vehicle.”
The ACV 1.1 armored personnel carrier has been a long time coming and “will yield a balanced combination of performance protection and payload all at an affordable price,” William Taylor, the Marine Corps’ Land Systems program executive officer, told reporters prior to the award today.
“After a very rigorous and thorough evaluation of competitor proposals, the Marine Corps will be awarding contracts to