General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) is set to produce multiple examples of its Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC).
The $450m Pre-Production Development (PPD) contract will see GDLS produce versions of both the Command, Control, Communications and Computers/Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ARV C4/UAS) and the ARV-30, a variant armed with a 30mm turret.
As per a company press statement, the vehicles will be used to validate the final design of the ARVs via a series of evaluation tests.
GDLS Vice-President and General Manager of U.S. Operations Keith Barclay commented: “Our ARV prototype has been thoroughly tested throughout the previous phases, and we are confident in its ability to meet and exceed the requirements of the Marine Corps
“We are proud to continue working side-by-side with the Marines through this next phase to ultimately deliver a transformational capability.”
The ARV programme seeks to replace the USMC’s family of LAV-25s; these Light Armored Vehicles were also manufactured by GDLS.
Up to six ARV variants were unplanned when the programme began; as well as the two mentioned above, they included logistics and recovery versions.
The USMC carried out a ten-month test programme of the ARV-30 which concluded in January this year. At their conclusion ARV Programme Manager at GDLS Chris Dell commented: “The ARV is highly mobile on land and in the water, allowing Marines to sense, communicate and connect to kill webs on the future battlefield like never before.
“Recent water mobility tests — including our cold-water testing in snow and ice — continue to validate our innovative swim technologies, among other functions. We pride ourselves on delivering capabilities that will be durable, reliable and affordable over the programme’s life cycle.”
- You can read more details on the GDLS website