U.S. Marine Corps awards $80M contract for ACV-30 remote turrets

Key Points
  • Kongsberg received an $80.2 million Marine Corps contract modification to produce 52 full-rate ACV-30 remote turrets, with total contract value reaching $282.8 million if all options are exercised.
  • BAE Systems secured a $184.4 million modification to produce 30 ACV variants with medium caliber cannons under a program that could reach $3.86 billion.

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has been awarded an $80 million contract modification to provide additional remote turret systems for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle program, according to a newly released contract notice.

The modification applies to a previously awarded contract and covers the Amphibious Combat Vehicle medium caliber cannon Protector remote turret 20, referred to as the turret. If all contract options are exercised, the total value of the agreement would reach $282,820,227.

According to the notice, the modification exercises options for the procurement of 52 full-rate production turrets for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle medium caliber cannon variant, known as the ACV-30. The award also includes associated production costs, fielding and support costs, support and test equipment, and spare parts.

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The turret, manufactured by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and operated by the U.S. Marine Corps, is a remotely operated system designed to mount a medium caliber cannon while allowing crews to remain protected inside the vehicle. The system supports stabilized firing and is intended for both amphibious and land operations.

Work under the contract will be performed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, accounting for 62 percent of the effort, and at Kongsberg’s facility on Kirkegaardsveien in Norway, which will handle the remaining 38 percent. The work is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2028.

Fiscal 2025 procurement funds for the Marine Corps in the amount of $80,163,321 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. Marine Corps Systems Command, based in Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

The contract action is part of a broader push to move the ACV-30 into sustained production. The Amphibious Combat Vehicle is replacing the Marine Corps’ legacy Amphibious Assault Vehicle fleet and is intended to provide improved protection, mobility, and mission flexibility. The ACV-30 variant is designed to deliver direct fire support for maneuver units during amphibious assaults and follow-on land operations.

Related awards show coordinated progress across the ACV program. BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP has secured a $184.4 million contract modification from the U.S. Marine Corps for the production of 30 Amphibious Combat Vehicle variants equipped with medium caliber cannons. That award is part of a larger ACV production contract that could reach $3.86 billion if all options are exercised.

In parallel, Northrop Grumman Corporation has entered full-rate production to deliver Mk44 Stretch Bushmaster Chain Guns for the Marine Corps’ new Amphibious Combat Vehicles. Company says the Mk44S will be integrated into the Kongsberg remote turret used on the Amphibious Combat Vehicle 30mm program.

The Mk44 Stretch Bushmaster Chain Gun is a 30mm automatic cannon designed to provide improved range, lethality, and flexibility compared with earlier systems. Integrated into the Kongsberg remote turret, the weapon is intended to give Marines protected, under-armor firepower against a range of threats, including light armored vehicles, fortified positions, and dismounted forces.

Kongsberg’s Protector family of remote weapon stations is already widely used by U.S. and allied forces on ground platforms. The ACV-30 integration combines an amphibious vehicle, a remote turret, and a medium caliber cannon into a single system tailored for expeditionary operations in littoral environments.

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