October 10, 2022 | International, Land
General Dynamics to begin building US Army's new light tank next month
GDLS will initially deliver 26 vehicles, but the contract allows the Army to buy 70 more.
October 10, 2018 | International, Land
US Army triggers start of possible ground mobility vehicle competition after long delay
By: Jen Judson
WASHINGTON — The Army seemed geared toward holding a rapid competition to buy a Ground Mobility Vehicle in 2016, but the plan was delayed without much explanation in favor of buying an interim vehicle already in use by special operations forces.
Buying the GMV was a top priority following the fall 2015 release of the Army's Combat Vehicle Modernization Strategy, which called for such a vehicle in future and current operations.
After a competition never materialized, however, rumors began to swirl that the Army may decide to buy more of the U.S. Special Operations Command's GMV — General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems' Flyer 72 — even after the service had spent several years prior testing a wide variety of commercial off-the-shelf options.
But Congress spurred the effort in its fiscal 2018 defense policy bill, mandating the Army hold a competition and move forward with a program.
The Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service Support's product lead for the GMV has quietly stated on its website that the Army plans to pursue a competition for the GMV — calling it an Infantry Squad Vehicle — as a formal program of record.
The office states that it is projected to enter into a production contract in fiscal 2020 to procure 2,000 vehicles, roughly a year later than originally planned.
The Army took a big step forward on Sept. 24, releasing a market survey to industry, via the Federal Business Opportunities website, soliciting offerings for an Infantry Squad Vehicle.
The notice states the service is looking for a vehicle that provides mobility for a nine-soldier infantry squad as well as its associated equipment to “move around the close battle area.” The vehicle should be lightweight, highly mobile and transportable “by all means” to include CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopters, UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters and by Low Velocity Air Drop.
Responses to the solicitation are due on Oct. 26.
While the Army has already bought quantities of the SOCOM vehicle for five airborne infantry brigade combat teams, other companies have continued to wait in the wings for the possibility to compete. And the pool of readily available ultralight vehicles is deep.
In addition to GD's Flyer, these vehicles all participated in vehicle demonstrations at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 2014:
- Boeing-MSI Defense's Phantom Badger.
- Polaris Defense's air-transportable off-road combat vehicle DAGOR.
- Hendrick Dynamics' Commando Jeep.
- Vyper Adamas' Viper.
- Lockheed Martin's High Versatility Tactical Vehicle, which is a version of the British Army's HMT-400 Jackal.
The Army launched its new-start GMV program in 2017 as planned, based off the service's new combat vehicle modernization strategy released in 2016, which called for the capability.
The Army planned to reach a full-rate production decision on a vehicle by the end of FY19.
But then it decided to split GMV procurement into two phases in the FY18 budget request and, in the first phase, planned to exclusively buy 295 of GD's Flyers through a previously awarded contract with U.S. Special Operations Command. The second phase would open up into a competition to build 1,700 more GMVs.
Procuring the GMV vehicles from SOCOM raised the unit cost of the vehicle higher than the unit cost of ones that would have been procured through competition, according to FY18 budget documents.
On the same subject
-
-
October 29, 2020 | International, Security, Other Defence
Will COVID-Stressed Countries Slow Their Arms Buys?
State Department's political-military leader sees mixed signals from abroad. Marcus Weisgerber The coronavirus pandemic might prompt U.S. allies to restructure arms deals for American-made weapons, a top State Department official. But R. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said there is still an appetite for U.S. weapons overseas — especially F-16 fighter jets and Patriot missile batteries. “If we're looking at long-term modernization plans across the board, we're seeing what I would say is [a] steady state in that place,” Cooper said Wednesday during a virtual Defense Writers Group meeting. Since April, the State Department has approved more than four dozen foreign arms deals with a potential total value of more than $91 billion. But just because the sales were approved doesn't mean they'll come to fruition. In some cases, U.S. companies are competing against one another and/or overseas firms for contracts. “On big-ticket modernization, while some states...may have looked to re-frame or push right to a later date particular procurements, we've not seen dramatic changes in their planning,” he said. “What it may mean is how they sequence certain procurements.” Germany last month canceled a multibillion- dollar helicopter competition between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, calling the project too expensive. At the same time, Switzerland recently moved forward with a competition to replace its F/A-18 Hornets. But economic pressures could prompt some countries to adjust payments schedules, Cooper said. “Based on their national budgets, [countries] might seek some sort of dependable undertaking,” he said. “Some states might seek foreign military financing or grant assistance.” By the way, Cooper added, the economic downturns could result in more NATO allies meeting the alliance's goal of members spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. “Bizarrely, we may have some states where their numbers look like they've had an increase [in defense spending] because they've had a drop in GDP,” he said. https://www.defenseone.com/business/2020/10/will-covid-stressed-countries-slow-their-arms-buys/169642/
-
March 14, 2024 | International, Land
Navy delays next-generation submarine start to early 2040s
The Navy moved its SSN(X) from a 2035 start to the "early 2040s," as it takes risk in modernization programs to pay for current operations and readiness.