Jane Edwards
The U.S. Marine Corps is scheduled to test prototypes of the new Amphibious Combat Vehicle from BAE Systems and Science Applications International Corp. in 2017, Marine Corps Times reported Wednesday.
Jeff Schogol writes the service branch plans to select one manufacturer in 2018 that would build the new ACVs designed to replace its fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicles.
The Marine Corps awarded a $104 million contract to BAE and $121 million to SAIC in November 2015 to proceed with the engineering, manufacturing and development phase of the ACV program.
BAE completed its first ACV prototype under the EMD contract and shipped it to Marine Corps Base Quantico for display at the Modern Day Marine expo.
John Swift, a BAE official, told reporters at the expo that the company’s ACV prototype has a V-shaped hull designed to protect troops from blasts, Schogol reports.
Swift noted that BAE’s ACV version works to operate up to 70 miles per hour on ground and six knots in water, according to the report.
