| Ground Combat Vehicle | |
|---|---|
Ground Combat Vehicle logo |
|
| Type | Tracked or wheeled armored fighting vehicles |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Industry and U.S. Army (Government Furnished E/I/M and synchronization)[1] |
| Variants | Infantry fighting vehicle, "Secondary vehicle" |
The Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) is the U.S. Army's replacement program for armored fighting vehicles in Heavy and Stryker brigade combat teams. The GCV is organized under the Follow On Incremental Capabilities Package of the BCT Modernization program. The first variant of the vehicle is to be prototyped in 2015 and fielded by 2017. It replaced the canceled Future Combat Systems, manned ground vehicles program.[2]
Contents |
Specific design elements of the GCV will be contracted out, though the Army will design the architecture and retain overall responsibility for synchronization. This contrasts with the former FCS manned ground vehicles program where contractors had more control over the design.[3] The GCV will be networked and offer improved survivability, while using the state-of-the-art mobility and power management functions. The military is releasing classified details of the FCS Manned Ground Vehicles program to interested contractors to be utilized in design proposals for the GCV. The GCV family will be built around a common chassis.[4]
The GCV will be operable with the current battle command control and communications suite but would gradually use a more state-of-the-art networked integration system known as the BCT Network. It will provide exportable electrical power, and a battery charging capability for external hardware including vehicles and electronics from the BCT Soldier subsystems. The system would be capable of integration with unmanned systems and dismounted soldiers.[5]
The GCV must be transportable by cargo aircraft, rail and ship. The Army requires it to meet the availability rates of the current Stryker. The Army is not limiting the vehicle by the dimensions of the C-130, which, in the past, has constrained many designs. Air mobility will be provided by the more spacious C-17. The GCV will have good cross-country mobility, with a baseline requirement of 30 mph off-road speed. The GCV should deliver higher sustainability levels and consume less fuel than the Bradley or other vehicles of similar weight and power.[5] The military is accepting both tracked and wheeled designs.[6]
The type and caliber of the weapons are still classified or open to interpretation by the industry. The IFV variant is notable for having a non-lethal weapon requirement.[5]
The Army would like the GCV to have a passive blast protection level equal to the MRAP and would utilize hit avoidance systems.[5]
In June 2009, a blue-ribbon panel met in Washington, D.C. to discuss requirements for the Ground Combat Vehicle.[7] In October and November 2009, more than 100 defense contractors turned up for two U.S. Army-organized industry day events in Michigan to express interest in bidding on the vehicle.[8][9] A review required for continuation was held and passed in February 2010 in Washington D.C.[10][11] A request for proposals (RFP) was issued on February 25, 2010 to which companies had 60 days to respond,[11] but was extended an additional 25 days.[12] A committee is currently examining the current schedule for the GCV to "shave a little time off".[13] For fiscal year 2011, the U.S. Army wishes to spend $934 million of the $2.5 billion allocated for BCT Modernization to develop the GCV.[14]
Up to three competitive contracts were to be awarded by early fall.[6][15] A prototype development contract decision would have followed by 2013.[16] The Technology Development Phase (or Milestone A) would begin in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2010 with the award of up to three vehicle contracts. This will be followed by an Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase and Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) phase before full production could start.[17]
Nine vehicles were evaluated in the Analysis of Alternatives (AOA). The four primary vehicles included in the AOA were the M2A3 Bradley II, a modernized Stryker, an M2A3 Bradley variant used in Iraq, and a XM1230 Caiman Plus MRAP. The five secondary vehicles included two unnamed foreign-made platforms, the M1126 Stryker Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the M1A2 SEP TUSK Abrams, and a modernized M1 Abrams. Vehicles included the The AOA were determined to be inferior to the planned GCV.[18]
On August 25, 2010, the U.S. Army canceled the current RFP to revise the requirements.[19] A new RFP is to be issued 60 days later.[20][21] When Peter Chiarelli was asked if the Army was developing an alternative to the GCV, Chiarelli replied "We're totally committed to GCV."[22] The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform suggests deferring development of the GCV until after 2015.[23]
The Army is using an incremental approach to combat vehicle modernization, centered on the Ground Combat Vehicle. The deployment will be synchronized with upgrades, reset and divestiture of existing vehicles. Vehicles displaced by the IFV may then replace selected M113 family of vehicles such as command and control, medical evacuation, and mortar carrier, allowing the Army to begin divestiture of the M113 family of vehicles. Upgrades to existing Bradley and Stryker vehicles may be considered as risk mitigation based on the rate at which the GCV is introduced.[24][25] Although upgraded, the Bradley and Stryker would also be replaced in the midterm.[24]
The Infantry Fighting Vehicle supersedes the previous infantry carrier replacement effort, the XM1206 Infantry Carrier Vehicle of the FCS MGV program.[2] It is the U.S. Army's intention that the IFV replace the M113 APC by 2018, the M2 Bradley later, and the Stryker ICV in the midterm.[24][26] The IFV will hold a crew of three and a squad of nine.[6]
The Conference Report (House Report 211-188) report in 2009 directed the Department of Defense to create a program for the development of a self-propelled howitzer for the U.S. Army.[27]
The so-called "secondary vehicle" is listed on the "Work Breakdown Structure" document. So far, no details have been released as to the function or specifications of this vehicle.[28]
|
||||||||