Brazil orders upgraded amphibious vehicles.

• Author: Versprille, Allyson
• Position: Global Defense

The Brazilian marine corps recently negotiated a contract for 23 upgraded amphibious assault vehicles to be delivered in 2017.

BAE Systems--the manufacturer of the Assault Amphibious Vehicle, or AAV7A1--was awarded the $82 million contract in late December 2015 to modernize and deliver the platforms.

Under the terms of the contract, the company will provide the upgraded vehicles and supply all tools and test equipment to support maintenance. Deliveries will begin in February 2017 and continue through the end of the year.

Brazil will receive a newer AAV7A1 variant that will have the reliability, availability and maintainability/rebuild to standard--or RAM/RS--configuration.

Over time, the vehicles degrade and the enhanced configuration is necessary to buy back performance, said Deepak Bazaz, director of new and amphibious vehicles at BAE. "What the RAM/RS does is it addresses the obsolescence issues," he said. The modernized variant has a more powerful, 525 horsepower turbo-charged engine, improved suspension and enhanced water jets.

Continued foreign military sales of the AAV7A1 family are critical because they keep the production line open and have helped the company design its offering for the U.S. Marine Corps' amphibious combat vehicle program, Bazaz said. The goal of the ACV program is to build the next generation of amphibious assault vehicles.

In November, BAE was selected as a finalist in the competition and was awarded a $103.8 million engineering and manufacturing development contract to build 13 prototypes, with an option for an additional three depending on future funding.

"Having the AAV experience is...