U.S. Army to revive Ground Combat Vehicle program under the name of Future Fighting Vehicle 2310141

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Defence & Security News - Unite States
 
 
Thursday, October 23, 2014 07:52 AM
 
U.S. Army to revive Ground Combat Vehicle program under the name of Future Fighting Vehicle.
The U.S. Army wants to revive a version of its Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program if the budget environment improves after shelving the project this year in favor of upgrading existing equipment. The Pentagon plans to revive the project in 2019 under a new name, the Future Fighting Vehicle.
     

Bradley M2A3 of U.S. Army
     
The GCV was intended to carry troops into battle, replacing the Bradley armoured infantry fighting vehicle that first entered service in 1981. Critics of the program pointed to additional requirements that caused its weight to balloon above 60 tons, and called for existing armored cars made by BAE and other overseas manufacturers to be considered as a cheaper alternative to an all-new vehicle.

The Congressional Budget Office had estimated developing and building more than 1,800 GCVs would cost $29 billion, but a senior Army official said it would review the existing requirements to reflect changing combat needs, include technology improvements and ensure it was affordable.

Brig. Gen. David Bassett, head of the Army’s ground combat program office, told reporters that this would include reviewing the size and weight, how many troops it could carry and whether the turret-mounted gun was manned. Another upgrade to the Bradley would also be considered.

The Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) programme has been initiated as part of the US Army's modernisation efforts to deliver its armed forces with a next-generation infantry fighting vehicle.

BAE was one of two Prime Contractors working on the Technology Development Phase of the US Army's Ground Combat Vehicle. The other Prime Contractor was General Dynamics Land Systems.

At AUSA 2014, BAE Systems has presented its Future Technology Demonstrator showed off a combination of mature technologies from throughout the company’s portfolio that can be integrated on an armored vehicle to the now-canceled GCV program of the U.S. Army.

     

BAE Systems FTD (Future Technology Demonstrator) at AUSA 2014, Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington D.C.