BAE avoids plant shut down ... for now.

• Position: COMBAT VEHICLES

* BAE Systems has been fighting to keep its York, Pa.-facility open after the Army announced plans to halt work on the Bradley family of fighting vehicles from 2014 to 2017. The company has been somewhat successful in reducing the time the assembly line would be shut down, with work at the facility planned to continue through mid-2015.

"We continue to work with the Army, and I think that they are beginning to understand some of our concerns. The challenge is, we're trying to turn off and then turn on a major manufacturing and supply base," said Mark Signorelli, the company's vice president and general manager for armored combat systems.

BAE originally was contracted to deliver reset vehicles through the first half of 2014. The company was able to extend that delivery schedule through an agreement with the Army, Signorelli told National Defense at a media day in Sterling Heights, Mich. In 2015, BAE will convert M3 Bradley cavalry fighting vehicles to M2 configurations, which increases the number of soldiers it can carry from four to seven.

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Signorelli believes there may be more opportunities to meet existing Army requirements in a way that would keep the York plant from shutting down, such as converting additional M3s or upgrading other vehicles in the Bradley family, which includes the M88 recovery vehicle, the M109 family of vehicles, the Paladin integrated management howitzer and the M113 personnel carrier.

Possible sales to Iraq and Saudi Arabia could also keep the production line hot. Iraq is considering buying up to 200 vehicles. Saudi Arabia, which is the only foreign country with Bradleys, is considering doubling its 400-vehicle fleet.

Decisions from Iraq and Saudi Arabia could come as early as 2014 and 2015, respectively, Signorelli...