BAE Systems developed a new combat engineering vehicle based on the AMPV tracked armored vehicle.
The new engineering version of the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle new studies had shown, for the first time during the Association of the U.S. Army Global Force Symposium 2018 in Huntsville, Alabama, Mar. 26, 2018.
The AMPV Engineering Vehicle is equipped with mine roller system serves as one of the first lines of defense against improvised explosive devices. Mine rollers are designed to hook up to the front of tactical vehicles and come into contact and detonate IEDs or mines before the vehicle carrying crew does.
The vehicle is required to operate alongside the M1 Abrams tank and the M2 Bradley. AMPV has been identified by the Army as its top priority for the safety and survivability of soldiers, and therefore, must meet tough protection requirements. Compromising or reducing the survivability requirements would put soldiers’ lives at risk. This is where BAE Systems’ Bradley-based AMPV solution comes in.
According to the company, BAE Systems’ Bradley-based AMPV is a mature, low-risk and cost-effective solution that rapidly delivers continued combat overmatch capability for the Army. The Bradley platform delivers combat proven mobility, survivability and force protection to fight with the ABCT formation.
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The AMPV provides the U.S. Army with a highly survivable and mobile fleet of vehicles that addresses a critical need to replace the Vietnam-era M113s. The AMPV capitalizes on proven Bradley and M109A7 designs, meeting the Army’s force protection and all-terrain mobility requirements while enabling the AMPV to maneuver with the rest of the Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). The Army’s new fleet will provide a substantial upgrade over their current personnel carriers, increasing the service’s survivability, force protection, and mobility. There is also substantial growth potential, allowing for future upgrades and technology developments over the life of the program.
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According to the Army Recognition, in December 2014, BAE Systems was awarded a 52-month contract covering the AMPV’s engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) and low-rate initial production (LRIP) phases. Under the EMD phase, a total of 29 AMPVs in five variants (120 mm mortar carrier, mission command, medical evacuation, medical treatment, and general-purpose vehicle) are to be delivered. The contract’s LRIP phase will cover 289 vehicles, and under current plans it is expected that 2,907 AMPVs could be procured in five variants, each to replace versions of the M113A3 vehicle family.