MARINE CORPS NEWS
BAE Systems Awarded $140 Million for Additional Amphibious Combat Vehicles
Photo: BAE Systems
BAE Systems has been awarded a $140 million contract modification to build another 30 amphibious combat vehicles for the Marine Corps, the Defense Department announced Dec. 6.
The company won the Marine Corps’ ACV competition in June, and was awarded a $198 million contract to deliver an initial 30 vehicles. BAE partnered with Iveco Defense Vehicles to build its ACV prototype, and the team beat out SAIC in the final downselect. The deal could be worth up to $1.2 billion if all options are exercised. The service's acquisition objective is to buy 204 platforms.
The contract modification allows BAE to build an additional 30 ACVs, which will be first of their kind marked for fielding, John Swift, the company's program director of amphibious combat vehicles, said during a teleconference with reporters Dec. 7. The additional funding includes associated production, fielding and support costs, according to the Pentagon. The platforms are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2020.
“The Marine Corps have got confidence in the vehicle’s capability," Swift said. "We have had no significant failures in subsequent testing and evaluations."
Service leaders plan to buy additional upgraded vehicles down the road, he noted.
“The Marine Corps will pursue three variants," he said. "Those three variants and the sequence of their priority to the Marine Corps are the command-and-control variant, a gun variant… and last but not least a recovery variant."
The ACV is an eight-wheeled, ocean-capable system that is meant to transport Marines from sea to shore and then operate on land. Each of the vehicles is required to have space to accommodate 13 Marines, plus a gunner, driver and commander. The new platforms are intended to replace the service's aging amphibious assault vehicles.
Topics: Contracting, Marine Corps News
Now that the USMC has a new ACV platform, I think more needs to be done to it, especially in terms of firepower. For sure, Active Defense Protection systems are vital for any contested environment.
Peter at 10:41 AMNew unmanned heavy armament turrets are definitely a must. The CROWS II is just too old and too weak in firepower. The USMC needs to increase their firepower ratio by fielding the CROWS II in tandem with the Javelin ATGM attached. Leonardo DRS makes 25mm to 40mm RWS turrets with Stingers and ATGMs, or even 105mm cannon turrets. I doubt the USMC would field a heavier armored vehicle except the upcoming Mobile Protected Firepower light tank; therefore, the ACV would be the vehicle family to mount the heavier armament turrets on that can cover a broad spectrum of heavier cannon, ATGMs, air defense, and recon sensors. The ACV may not be an IFV, but US Army combat experience has proven that there exists an urgent need to increase the turret firepower beyond just the simple CROWS II .50cal and 40mm AGL weapons fit.