BAE System Awarded Contract to Begin Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle Program

[UAE]

BAE SYSTEMS AWARDED CONTRACT TO BEGIN ARMORED MULTI-PURPOSE VEHICLE PROGRAM

BAE Systems was awarded a contract worth up to $1.2 billion from the U.S. Army for the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Development (EMD) and Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV).




The program aims to provide the U.S. Army with a highly survivable and mobile fleet of vehicles that addresses a critical need to replace the Vietnam-era M113s.

“This award represents a significant milestone for the U.S. Army and BAE Systems,” said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of Combat Vehicles at BAE Systems. “The AMPV will provide a substantial upgrade over the Army’s current personnel carrier fleet, increasing the service’s survivability, force protection, and mobility while providing for future growth potential. It also confirms BAE Systems’ role as a leading provider of combat vehicles.”

The initial award is for a 52-month base term, valued at approximately $383 million, during which BAE Systems will produce 29 vehicles across each of the variants. The award also provides an option to begin the LRIP phase immediately following the current EMD phase, at which time the company would produce an additional 289 vehicles for a total contract value of $1.2 billion.

The AMPV capitalizes on proven Bradley and M109A7 designs, meeting the Army’s force protection and all-terrain mobility requirements while enabling the AMPV to maneuver with the rest of the Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). The maximized commonality within the AMPV family of vehicles and the ABCT will reduce risk and provide significant cost savings to the Army.

The BAE Systems AMPV team includes DRS Technologies, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Air Methods Corporation, and Red River Army Depot. Work on the contract is expected to begin immediately and will take place primarily at the company’s York, Pennsylvania, and Sterling Heights, Michigan, facilities.

Newsroom - BAE Systems

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

Interesting development. I wonder why there is an interest in such massive machines. These are huge and unwieldy. Yes, they are armoured but they are not agile. We are no longer in the era where we line up our soldiers on a battle-field and march against the enemy. Today, the enemy is invisible or can become invisible in, literally, the blink of an eye, by blending in the local populace of civilians.

I would like to see the development of more mobile and versatile armoured units. An exoskeleton would be fine. I don't have the exact figure to hand but the cost of one of those armoured vehicles can easily buy at least ten exoskeletons. And I would think ten soldiers equipped with exoskeletons would be more effective in the modern warfare scenarios which are played out in urban environments.

 

[Dez97]

I was thinking the same thing when I first started reading, why such an interest in machines like this, that clearly promote violence. I also take into consideration that if we were thinking it, so could other countries be thinking the same thing?.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

Oh, you don't have to worry about other countries thinking along the same lines because, in all probability, they already are. The main question would be one of opportunity cost. To acquire one of these new machines costs a lot of money. Can the same amount of money be used to purchase equipment which is more effective, yet cost a lot less? True, a big, hulking armoured car does look imposing. But looks do not win wars.