US Marines Get Next-Generation Amphibious Capability

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The US Marine Corps has awarded BAE Systems and its partner Iveco Defence Vehicles a US$198 million contract to deliver the first 30 of the Corps’ next-generation Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV). The vehicles will get the Marines from ship to shore to engage in land combat operations.

The ACV provides exceptional mobility in all terrains, according to the company website, and blast mitigation protection for all three crew and 13 embarked Marines, along with other improvements over currently fielded systems.

The new vehicle is an advanced 8×8 open ocean-capable vehicle that is equipped with a new 6-cylinder, 700HP engine, which provides a significant power increase over the Assault Amphibious Vehicle, which is currently in service and has been in operation for decades. The ACV is also adaptable to accommodate growth for future technologies or requirements.

The BAE Systems team conducted its own extensive risk mitigation testing and evaluation for land mobility, survivability, and swim capabilities that proved its vehicle’s performance prior to delivering the first 16 prototypes to the Marine Corps in 2017.

Over the past 15 months, the company supported the Marine Corps’ rigorous Developmental Testing and Operational Assessment of the vehicles, which performed superbly in water and land operations, payload, and survivability.