Marines Forging Ahead with Amphibious Combat Vehicles.

• Author: Lee, Connie

The Marine Corps is pursuing a new family of amphibious combat vehicles with multiple variants that can carry troops from sea to shore.

The ACV program is intended to replace the 40-year-old amphibious assault vehicle. The previous $3 billion replacement effort, deemed the expeditionary fighting vehicle, was canceled in 2011 because of the system's poor reliability and cost growth, according to the Congressional Research Service.

In 2015, BAE Systems and SAIC were awarded contracts to build 16 prototypes each for two-year testing. Engineering and manufacturing assessments kicked off in 2017. BAE and its partner Iveco Defence Vehicles--an Italian military vehicle manufacturer--won a downselect in June 2018 and was awarded a $198 million contract for a personnel variant. The contract included producing 30 systems for low-rate initial production.

BAE's vehicle is an 8x8 platform with a 690-horsepower engine that can traverse 325 miles on land before refueling, according to the company. The system can reach ground speeds of more than 65 miles per hour and carry 13 Marines and a crew of three.

The ACV is based on Iveco's Superav 8x8 amphibious armored vehicle, which was unveiled in 2009 and can be transported by a C-17, according to Iveco. The vehicle has two propellers and can mount up to a 40 mm cannon.

One of the main concerns regarding the amphibious assault vehicle was its lack of survivability, said John Swift, director of amphibious programs at BAE. The ACV's level of protection is equal to or greater than that of a mine-resistant, ambush protected vehicle, making it three times more survivable than the amphibious assault vehicle, he said. A 2011 request for information stated that the vehicle should be able to protect against threats such as direct and indirect fire, mines and improvised explosive devices.

"Ultimately, the balance between what was best value between survivability, performance and reliability and cost ultimately earned BAE the selection," Swift said.

Col. Kirk Mullins, the Marine Corps ACV product manager, said the platform is in the early stages of low-rate initial production. BAE is continuing to build the first 30 vehicles of LRIP Lot 1 and the service has taken delivery of the first system at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, he said in an interview. Initial operational test and evaluation is slated for April and a full-rate production decision is scheduled for the third quarter of fiscal year 2020.

An operational...