BAE Systems has received a $184 million contract from the United States Marine Corps for the production of 30 additional Amphibious Combat Vehicles under the programme’s full-rate production framework.
The award, designated FRP 6A, forms part of the previously agreed Lot 5/6 arrangement and increases the total number of ACV-30 variants on order to more than 100 vehicles. The ACV-30 is fitted with a 30mm turret produced by Kongsberg Aerospace and Defence and is intended to provide direct fire support alongside the core personnel-carrying variant.
The Amphibious Combat Vehicle is designed to operate across a wide range of environments, from ship-to-shore manoeuvre to sustained inland operations. It is intended to transport troops, equipment and mission payloads while retaining growth margin for the integration of additional systems.
“The ACV has shown time and time again how adaptable it is, capable of handling everything from open ocean to tough inland missions,” said Rebecca McGrane, vice president of Amphibious Programs at BAE Systems. “With its ability to integrate advanced systems like the 30mm cannon, we’re ensuring Marines are ready to meet any challenge, anywhere.”
In addition to the ACV-30, BAE Systems is already under contract for the ACV-Personnel and ACV-Command variants. The ACV-Personnel version is designed to carry combat-loaded Marines and crew, while the command variant provides multiple workstations to support command and control and situational awareness on operations.
The company has also built and delivered three production-representative test vehicles for the ACV-Recovery variant. This version incorporates a recovery crane integrated by the US Government at Anniston Army Depot and is intended to provide maintenance, recovery and repair support to Marine Corps assault amphibian units.
Work associated with the latest ACV-30 award will be carried out in Johnstown and York, Pennsylvania, with additional turret integration activity taking place at the Naval Warfare Information Center in Charleston, South Carolina.
BAE regarded as good enough to build complex armoured vehicles for a very demanding American customer (USMC) who will use them in the harshest of environments….yet they were seemingly not good enough to build a recce vehicle for the British Army. The irony is that that job went to a US spinoff company that had never before built a military vehicle and initially did not even have a factory to build it in.
typical of the Americans , if it’s not designed or built for them , then it will be considered as second rate to one of their own poorly built and vastly overpriced offerings
I suppose when your president has a whole list of counties to potential invade on his to do list you need more amphibious vehicles.