Raytheon Co., one of the world’s largest defense contractors, is establishing a new venture to develop a new combat vehicle with Europian partner Rheinmetall Defence, seeking to catch up with rivals in an increasingly frenetic race to produce new infantry fighting vehicle for the U.S. Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, or OMFV, competition.
The U.S.-based joint venture is called Raytheon Rheinmetall Land Systems LLC, according to a company news release.
The joint venture will integrate teams from two companies to create a modern combat vehicle to replace the Bradley. The OMFV is considered to be a replacement for the Army’s aging Bradley Fighting Vehicle that no longer has decisive overmatch in lethality and protection and has reached the limits of its growth capacity.
The new vehicle will be optimized for urban combat and rural terrain. The Army has named the OMFV as a top modernization priority supported under the service’s Futures Command structure.
“This advanced combat vehicle will be made in America,” said Sam Deneke, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. “Our team will produce and deliver a fighting vehicle to the U.S. Army that protects our troops and gives them an overwhelming advantage on the battlefield.”
Raytheon and Rheinmetall joined forces in 2018 to offer Lynx for the Army’s OMFV competition. Lynx is a next-generation, tracked armored fighting vehicle designed to address the critical challenges of the future battlefield. Lynx provides ample growth capacity to support new technologies over the vehicle’s lifetime, and features lower life-cycle costs.
“Lynx will be built in America by American workers,” said Ben Hudson, global head of Rheinmetall’s Vehicle Systems division. “By choosing Lynx, the Army has an extraordinary opportunity to provide U.S. troops with a fighting vehicle that will enable them to outmatch the threat for decades to come.”
Raytheon technology earmarked for the Lynx includes the company’s advanced weapons, like the TOW™ missile, Active Protection System, third-generation sights, Coyote® unmanned aircraft system as well as cyber protection.
The Lynx team will submit its bid on or before Oct. 1, 2019.