The US Marine Corps (USMC) awarded Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) a prime contract worth $121.5 million to build 13 prototypes for the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle Phase 1, Increment 1 (ACV 1.1).
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“We are honored to have been selected by the USMC to deliver a truly amphibious solution that will support infantry Marines ashore,” Tom Watson, SAIC senior vice president and general manager of the Navy and Marine Corps customer group, said. “Our solution provides the USMC with an ACV that is fully-protected and has superior maneuverability with amphibious ship-to-shore capability. We are pleased that the protest for this program has been favorably resolved. Now, SAIC and the Marine Corps can move forward on this important programme.”
During the EMD phase, SAIC, along with teammate ST Kinetics, will provide the USMC with 13 prototypes that will be tested next year. Work will be performed primarily in SAIC’s facility in Charleston, SC/USA, where the company is currently providing the USMC with initial survivability upgrades to 10 Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV) prototypes.
SAIC and ST Kinetics’ enhanced ACV 1.1 solution, called TERREX 2, is an 8x8 wheeled, armored ACV with improved mobility that can transport a combat load of up to 11 embarked Marines and three crew members through hostile territory. On land, TERREX 2’s independent suspension system improves ground mobility and ride quality for US Marines. In water, TERREX 2’s hydraulically driven propulsion systems with full independent thrust control authority allows safe operation at Sea-State 3 and through six-foot plunging surf.
"ST Kinetics is pleased to be informed of the Marine Corps’ selection of the TERREX 2 for the next phase of evaluation for the ACV 1.1 programme,” President of ST Kinetics Ravinder Singh, explained. “Following GAO's decision to proceed with the ACV 1.1 program, and together with our teammate SAIC, ST Kinetics now moves into the EMD phase of the ACV programme."
The first phase covers 10 prototype and 52 low rate initial production vehicles, and according to SAIC has a potential value of more than $192 million over five years.
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied General Dynamics protest of the decision: "GAO concluded that the USMC's evaluation of the General Dynamics proposal was reasonable and consistent with the evaluation scheme identified in the solicitation," read a statement from Kenneth Patton, managing associate general counsel for procurement law at the GAO, distributed Tuesday. "GAO also concluded that the decision to select SAIC’s higher-rated, but higher-priced proposal was within the agency’s discretion when conducting a best value procurement."
BAE Systems is teamed with Iveco offering a version of the Italian SuperAV, and was awarded an initial $103.8 million contract.Each contractor is tasked with building 16 prototype vehicles for testing over the next two years. A winner will be selected in 2018 to deliver 204 personnel-carrier variants by 2020 valued at $1.1 billion.
“We are proud to continue our long history of providing the USMC with superior amphibious capabilities,” Deepak Bazaz, director of new and amphibious vehicles at BAE Systems, said. “Our vehicle was designed to be fully amphibious with exceptional ground mobility and protection. Our ACV solution will provide the USMC with a mature, cost-effective solution with significant growth capacity.”
BAE Systems’ ACV 1.1 solution is an advanced 8x8 open ocean-capable vehicle that is based on a platform developed by IVECO Defence Vehicles. It is equipped with a new 6-cylinder, 700HP power pack, which provides a significant power increase over the current Assault Amphibious Vehicle. The vehicle performs best in class mobility in all terrains and has a suspended interior seat structure for 13 embarked Marines, blast mitigating positions for a crew of three, and improved survivability and force protection over currently fielded systems. The team has conducted extensive risk mitigation testing and evaluation for swim, land mobility, and survivability capabilities that have proven the solution’s capabilities.
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“We are honored to have been selected by the USMC to deliver a truly amphibious solution that will support infantry Marines ashore,” Tom Watson, SAIC senior vice president and general manager of the Navy and Marine Corps customer group, said. “Our solution provides the USMC with an ACV that is fully-protected and has superior maneuverability with amphibious ship-to-shore capability. We are pleased that the protest for this program has been favorably resolved. Now, SAIC and the Marine Corps can move forward on this important programme.”
During the EMD phase, SAIC, along with teammate ST Kinetics, will provide the USMC with 13 prototypes that will be tested next year. Work will be performed primarily in SAIC’s facility in Charleston, SC/USA, where the company is currently providing the USMC with initial survivability upgrades to 10 Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV) prototypes.
SAIC and ST Kinetics’ enhanced ACV 1.1 solution, called TERREX 2, is an 8x8 wheeled, armored ACV with improved mobility that can transport a combat load of up to 11 embarked Marines and three crew members through hostile territory. On land, TERREX 2’s independent suspension system improves ground mobility and ride quality for US Marines. In water, TERREX 2’s hydraulically driven propulsion systems with full independent thrust control authority allows safe operation at Sea-State 3 and through six-foot plunging surf.
"ST Kinetics is pleased to be informed of the Marine Corps’ selection of the TERREX 2 for the next phase of evaluation for the ACV 1.1 programme,” President of ST Kinetics Ravinder Singh, explained. “Following GAO's decision to proceed with the ACV 1.1 program, and together with our teammate SAIC, ST Kinetics now moves into the EMD phase of the ACV programme."
The first phase covers 10 prototype and 52 low rate initial production vehicles, and according to SAIC has a potential value of more than $192 million over five years.
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied General Dynamics protest of the decision: "GAO concluded that the USMC's evaluation of the General Dynamics proposal was reasonable and consistent with the evaluation scheme identified in the solicitation," read a statement from Kenneth Patton, managing associate general counsel for procurement law at the GAO, distributed Tuesday. "GAO also concluded that the decision to select SAIC’s higher-rated, but higher-priced proposal was within the agency’s discretion when conducting a best value procurement."
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| Designed to maximise space for crew and equipment, the TERREX 2 seats 14 (including driver and commander) with adequate space for mission loads as required. Its weight efficient design also means it has outstanding payload capability, allowing for flexible configurations of protection and weapon solutions. The TERREX 2 is able to integrate advanced weapon systems like remote weapon systems armed with 30mm cannon (shown). (Photo: ST Kinetics) |
“We are proud to continue our long history of providing the USMC with superior amphibious capabilities,” Deepak Bazaz, director of new and amphibious vehicles at BAE Systems, said. “Our vehicle was designed to be fully amphibious with exceptional ground mobility and protection. Our ACV solution will provide the USMC with a mature, cost-effective solution with significant growth capacity.”
BAE Systems’ ACV 1.1 solution is an advanced 8x8 open ocean-capable vehicle that is based on a platform developed by IVECO Defence Vehicles. It is equipped with a new 6-cylinder, 700HP power pack, which provides a significant power increase over the current Assault Amphibious Vehicle. The vehicle performs best in class mobility in all terrains and has a suspended interior seat structure for 13 embarked Marines, blast mitigating positions for a crew of three, and improved survivability and force protection over currently fielded systems. The team has conducted extensive risk mitigation testing and evaluation for swim, land mobility, and survivability capabilities that have proven the solution’s capabilities.
