National Defense > Blog > Posts > Gen. Chiarelli: Army's New Ground Combat Vehicle Is not FCS 'Warmed Over'

2/26/2010

Gen. Chiarelli: Army's New Ground Combat Vehicle Is not FCS 'Warmed Over'
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Army's new ground combat vehicle is not simply a recycled version of the canceled Future Combat Systems common chassis, said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff of the Army.

Speaking to the Association of the U.S. Army winter symposium only hours after the request for proposals for the service's next combat vehicle was released, Chiarelli said that the service is looking for "full spectrum versatility."

"This is a vehicle that takes into account the lessons of eight years of war.  It is not just FCS warmed over," he said. The GCV will replace the planned family of vehicles that was canceled when the FCS program fell under the budget ax last year.

One of the lessons learned is the need for protection. For example, it would have armored protection that could be changed over time based on the situations that soldiers find themselves in, he said. The FCS vehicles were conceived before the military went to war and encountered roadside bombs. "It will have a number of force protection packages that could be put on that vehicle that will allow it to, in fact, change over time," he said.

Commanders can make a choice on what level of protection they need based on the situations they encounter. "We're looking for full spectrum versatility in this vehicle," he said. That includes active protection systems which send out projectiles to protect the vehicles from such threats as rocket propelled grenades, he said. "Active protection is the future. This will be a vehicle  with a growth potential that will allow it to add active protection measures as they become available," he said.

Chiarelli said the Army will initially select three proposals to enter a technology and development phase. "What we are really hoping for is three solid proposals to enter into that [technology and development] phase," he said. If the Army only receives two good proposals, it will proceed with two, he said.

Those contracts will be awarded in September, and that phase will continue for 27 months until December 2012, he said. Two contractors will be downselected for competitive prototyping in January 2013. The final winner of the contract will be selected in March 2016, with the first vehicles being delivered in the fourth quarter of 2018, he said. "We think this will be an amazing vehicle that will really launch the United States Army into this century," he said.
Posted at 9:03 AM by Stew Magnuson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

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