BAE Systems Inc. has been awarded a $268,9 million U.S. Army contract modification for Bradley infantry fighting vehicle production, a U.S. Department of Defense news release states.
Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2021, the release states.
Also added that Fiscal 2018 procurement of weapons and tracked combat vehicles funds in the amount of $268,990,416 were obligated at the time of the award.
The Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is a combat proven platform that provides outstanding survivability, mobility, and lethality and is an integral part of the U.S. Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT).
BAE Systems website said the newest Bradleys feature the latest digitized electronics for optimum situational awareness, network connectivity, and communication within the ABCT. Over the life of the Bradley program, there have been several survivability upgrades, including installation of underbelly protection and the Bradley Urban Survivability Kits (BUSK), further enhancing the safety of one of the most survivable vehicles in the fleet.
This past summer, the Army started live fire-testing of the Bradley Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) to evaluate the survivability of the Bradley to threat-induced ballistic shock and underbody accelerative loads. The Army completed controlled damage experiments (CDE) and started with live fire system-level tests on prototype vehicles. Full-up system-level (FUSL) events using production-representative vehicles will be completed in FY20.
In July 2019, also was spotted upgrade Bradley fighting vehicle with new track system at Yuma Proving Ground.
United States’s public broadcaster, FOX 10, quoting Test Officer at the Yuma Proving Ground, reported that a new track system is being tested on a Bradley combat-proven platform, one that will allow tanks to be raised and lowered depending on the terrain, like a lifted Jeep.
“It gives it the ability to set a variable ride height,” said Sarah Hogan, Combat Systems Test Officer at the Yuma Proving Grounds. “Better off-road speeds, lower vibrations, so better survivability for the crew and army personnel.”
The YPG test officer provided no further details.