BAE Systems has received a USD 754 million (EUR 697 million) contract award to continue producing the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) family of vehicles for the US Army, the company announced on 28 March 2024.
This contract begins the second phase of full-rate production of AMPVs between March 2026 and February 2027.
The AMPV family of vehicles replaces the variants of the US Army’s Vietnam War-era M113-based fleet of vehicles, modernising the force and providing critical survivability, mobility, and interoperability upgrades to the army’s Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs).
“It’s crucial that we continue to replace the M113s, and that we do it at a pace that ensures soldiers are unmatched on the modern battlefield,” Bill Sheehy, BAE Systems’ AMPV programme director, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “We are fully committed to continue our swift work with the army to produce high-quality AMPVs at an increased and sustained rate for soldiers.
“This next phase for AMPV furthers our joint efforts to equip the ABCT with a combat platform that helps them successfully achieve missions they’ll encounter today and decades from now, in addition to having a highly capable vehicle that can manoeuvre with the fleet in the toughest terrains out there,” Sheehy added.
Currently produced in five variants – general-purpose, mortar carrier, medical evacuation, medical treatment and mission command – the AMPV operates in various roles and features hulls that will serve as the foundation for upgrades to new mission roles in the future.
Meanwhile, BAE Systems continues to develop the AMPV platform, with investments underway to create a more modular chassis that will allow for quick integration of next-generation technologies and capabilities to support potential future customer needs.
The US Army first awarded BAE Systems the AMPV engineering and manufacturing development contract in 2014 and signed a low-rate initial production contract in 2018. This most recent milestone follows the programme’s full-rate production contract award in August 2023.
BAE Systems announced new investments by the company and the US Army to expand its AMPV production line in York, Pennsylvania, last year.
“Investment in AMPV production expansion ensures that BAE Systems has the capacity and technology necessary to deliver capability to the US government at a faster rate while strengthening the combat vehicle industrial base,” the company stated.
Most recently, the AMPV line received an additional robotic weld capability that further increases quality throughput during the manufacturing process and makes room to expand production to meet growing demand.
