BAE has won a $198 million contract to provide an initial 30 wheeled amphibious combat vehicles (ACV) from the US Marine Corps to transport Marines from ship to shore under hostile conditions.
The contract, which also includes options for a total of 204 vehicles worth up to a potential $1.2 billion, will come as a blow to defence services company Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), which had been competing for the same contract.
BAE has already produced 16 prototype vehicles and conducted its own extensive risk mitigation testing and evaluation for land mobility, survivability, and swim capabilities. The confirmation of the award will now move the programme forward from the prototype phase to low-rate production, due to start this year.
Work on the programme will be performed at the company’s facilities in Aiken, South Carolina; Sterling Heights, Michigan; Minneapolis; Stafford; San Jose, California; and York, Pennsylvania.
According to Dean Medland, vice-president and general manager of Combat Vehicles Amphibious and International at BAE Systems: “We are well positioned and ready to build the future of amphibious fighting vehicles for the Marine Corps, having already produced 16 prototypes,” said Dean Medland, vice president and general manager of Combat Vehicles. “Through this award, we are proud to continue our partnership with the Marine Corps by providing a best-in-class vehicle to support its mission through mobility, survivability and lethality.”