US Marine Corps order 33 ACVs

BAE Systems Land & Armaments has received an around $170 million contract modification on 23 December from US Marine Corps (USMC) Systems Command under the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme.

This modification provides for the exercise of options for the procurement of 33 ACVs and associated production as well as fielding and support costs.

The total value of the agreement, if all options are exercised, is $3.354 billion, and the work is expected to be completed in April 2023.

BAE Systems has received the initial $1.1 billion contract to produce 204 ACVs in June 2018. In total, the USMC has a requirement for 579 ACVs.

This platform will replace the legacy Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV7), which was first fielded in 1972 and upgraded to the A1 standard in the mid-1980s.

According to Shephard Defence Insight, the ACV has a blast-resistant hull that provides mine, IED, ballistic and overhead protection. Its survivability is improved by blast-resistant seats and an automatic fire suppression system.

The USMC requires several variants of the ACV to meet its requirements comprising a standard personnel carrier (ACV-P), a command and control vehicle (ACV-C), a recovery and maintenance vehicle (ACV-R) and a turreted version armed with a 30 mm cannon (ACV-30).

In February 2021, BAE Systems has provided the first command variant for tests with the USMC.

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

ACV (US - USMC)

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

ACV

AAV7A1