U.S. Marines to Procure 59 Amphibious Combat Vehicles with 30mm Turret and 32 Recovery Variants by 2026.

The Pentagon’s Fiscal Year 2026 acquisition budget formally confirms the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) as a central pillar of the U.S. Marine Corps’ armored maneuver modernization. The move signals a decisive shift away from interim solutions toward a fully mature, combat-ready amphibious platform built for contested littoral warfare.

The U.S. Department of Defense’s Fiscal Year 2026 acquisition budget cements the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) program as a long-term capability for the Marine Corps, underscoring service leadership’s confidence in the platform as more than a replacement for the aging AAVP-7A1 fleet. Budget justification documents and Marine Corps modernization plans describe the ACV as a foundational system for future amphibious and expeditionary operations, designed to operate from ship to shore and sustain maneuver well inland under modern threat conditions.
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The ACV-30 is equipped with a Kongsberg RT20 stabilized remote turret mounting a 30 mm Bushmaster II cannon and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun. (Picture source: Kongsberg)

The program reached Milestone C in June 2018 following multiyear operational analysis conducted under the Ground Combat Tactical Vehicle Strategy. This decision led to the down-selection of BAE Systems as the sole vendor and the award of the Low-Rate Initial Production contract. Full Rate Production began in fiscal year 2021 with the procurement of 72 vehicles, signaling that the ACV had met required thresholds for survivability, mobility, and reliability. Since then, the program has transitioned from fielding a basic personnel carrier to building a multi-variant armored ecosystem.

BAE Systems remains the prime contractor, with production centered in York, Pennsylvania. The industrial approach relies on a common automotive baseline across all variants, built around an eight-wheel-drive configuration, independent suspension, and a robust diesel powerpack optimized for both off-road mobility and extended road operations. This commonality allows the Marine Corps to introduce new mission roles without redesigning the core vehicle, reducing logistical burden while enabling rapid capability growth.

From a technical and operational standpoint, the ACV provides protected mobility to Marine infantry battalions across land and limited water environments. The vehicle features a modern armored hull designed to defeat blast effects, fragmentation, and kinetic energy threats, with underbody protection and energy-attenuating seating that significantly improves crew and troop survivability compared to the legacy tracked AAV. Unlike its predecessor, the ACV is not intended for long-duration open-ocean swimming. Instead, it is optimized to be transported by ship-to-shore connector craft, then maneuver rapidly from littoral penetration points to inland objectives, reflecting lessons learned from recent expeditionary operations.

The ACV-Personnel variant, deliveries of which began in 2020, forms the backbone of the fleet and is configured to transport a Marine infantry squad with full combat load under armor. The Command and Control variant, fielded starting in 2022, integrates advanced communications, battle management systems, and additional power generation to support commanders operating forward in contested environments. Both variants retain the same mobility and protection characteristics, ensuring command elements can maneuver alongside assault forces without sacrificing survivability.

A significant capability shift occurred in February 2024 with the delivery of the first ACV-30 infantry fighting vehicle. This variant is equipped with a remotely operated turret mounting a 30 mm cannon, providing direct fire support against dismounted enemy forces, light armored vehicles, and fortified positions. The addition of the ACV-30 fundamentally changes the role of Marine amphibious formations, giving them organic, protected firepower that supports distributed operations and reduces reliance on external fires during the initial phases of a landing.

Development of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle Recovery variant continues and is identified in the FY 2026 budget as a critical enabler for sustained high-tempo operations. The ACV-R is designed to recover disabled vehicles under combat conditions, using a reinforced chassis, recovery winches, and specialized equipment while retaining the protection and mobility of the baseline platform. This variant addresses a long-standing gap in Marine units operating in dispersed littoral environments where traditional heavy recovery assets may be unavailable or too vulnerable.

Funding data in the Pentagon’s Fiscal Year 2026 acquisition budget underscores the scale and durability of the program. In fiscal year 2024, procurement supported 80 vehicles at a cost of approximately 545.1 million dollars, with total program funding reaching about 632.8 million dollars when 87.7 million dollars in research, development, test, and evaluation funding is included. Fiscal year 2025 maintained procurement of 80 vehicles, with procurement funding rising to roughly 810.3 million dollars and total program costs reaching approximately 857.0 million dollars, reflecting increased systems integration and production support.

For fiscal year 2026, both discretionary and mandatory funding profiles support the procurement of 91 vehicles. Research, development, test, and evaluation funding is projected at approximately 44.6 million dollars, while total program funding is estimated at around 835.4 million dollars. Pentagon budget documentation notes that figures may not add precisely due to rounding, but the parallel funding lines indicate a deliberate effort to shield the program from budget instability.

Within the FY 2026 plan, the Marine Corps continues procurement of 59 ACV-30 gun variants and funds the first 32 ACV-R recovery vehicles, alongside production support, systems engineering and program management, engineering change orders, government furnished equipment, and integrated logistics support. This balanced investment between combat, command, and sustainment variants signals that the ACV is now viewed as a fully integrated combat system rather than a niche amphibious transport.

As the Marine Corps prepares for potential high-intensity conflict in the Indo-Pacific and other contested maritime regions, the Amphibious Combat Vehicle stands out in the FY 2026 acquisition budget as a protected, scalable, and technically mature solution. By combining improved survivability, enhanced lethality, and a common industrial foundation, the ACV family is positioned to underpin Marine infantry mobility and combat power across the full spectrum of future expeditionary operations.