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\nBAE Amphibious Combat Vehicle<\/p>\n
\nBAE Amphibious Combat Vehicle<\/p>\n
The U.S. Marine Corps’ 67,500-pound replacement for its aging Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAVs) is in full rate production. BAE’s new Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) hasn’t made everyone happy, however.<\/p>\n
By Caleb Larson<\/strong><\/p>\n BAE Systems, the firm behind the United States Marine Corps\u2019 Amphibious Combat Vehicle, just got the go-ahead to build more of the new system, according to a BAE press release.<\/p>\n The Corps awarded BAE $184 million for 36 additional ACVs, and brings the total number of full-rate production vehicles to 72, a deal that covers testing equipment and spare parts.<\/p>\n BAE\u2019s new Amphibious Combat Vehicle replaces the Corps\u2019 similarly named Assault Amphibious Vehicle. The legacy AAV platform has been in service with the Marine Corps for nearly half a century, since the early 1970s. And while it provided a valuable ship-to-shore capability \u2014 of crucial importance to the Corps given their amphibious ability \u2014 it had since grown long in the tooth, necessitating a replacement.<\/p>\n Unlike the AAV, the newer ACV platform forwent a tracked design, opting instead for a wheeled 8\u00d78 wheeled layout. It does however retain the AAV\u2019s amphibious capability and features dual water thrusters at the hull rear, as well as a rear-opening egress and ingress hatch. <\/p>\n Still, the ACV has faced criticism from both inside and outside the Marine Corps. One of the chief points brought up against the ACV is the new platform\u2019s relatively slow speed while in the water. Compounding the ACV\u2019s speed issue, is its range in the water compared to proliferating anti-ship missile threats, which have significantly outpaced the vehicle.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Speed and range issues? Either someone did a poor job defining requirements, or a couple high level Deficiency Reports have hit the Program Office. Maybe both. Read how the Corps addresses this and more, here: 19 Forty Five<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"