BAE Systems is investing in the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) to further expand capability options for Soldiers. By using internal investment dollars and the modular chassis of the AMPV the Company will collaborate to produce various technologically-advanced prototypes equipped with different capability kits. The various strategic agreements will drive combat vehicle innovation for warfighters at speeds that outpace the adversary. The capability kits will feature integrated effectors that would allow Soldiers to perform missions including counter-unmanned aerial systems detection and targeting, ground autonomy and unmanned turrets – all while maneuvering within the highly-survivable AMPV. In just the last two years, BAE Systems has invested in similar integration efforts, having installed and showcased five different turreted prototypes—to include a Modular Turreted Mortar and 30mm unmanned weapon systems—all using a Modular Open Systems and collaborative approach to enhance the platform.
“The AMPV is a proving ground for the future of tracked ground combat. The brand-new platform is coming off a hot production line, and the proven hull is one of the most durable building blocks being delivered to the U.S. Army today. We’re committed to working alongside other technology disruptors at a pace that enhances AMPV’s capability options now, so it’s available for Soldiers in a moment’s notice. We have a lot of work ahead of us for what we’ve set out to do this year, but just like a formation operating on the battlefield, collaboration fuels success. This might not be a traditional approach to innovating for warfighters, but the AMPV isn’t your average combat vehicle either,” said Bill Sheehy, Ground Maneuver product line director for BAE Systems.
The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) is a U.S. Army program to replace the M113 armored personnel carrier and family of vehicles. AMPV is a sub-project of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle program. In 2014, the U.S. Army selected BAE Systems‘ proposal of a turretless variant of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to replace over 2,800 M113s in service. Five variants of the 2,907 AMPV are planned: M1283 general purpose (522 planned), M1284 medical evacuation vehicle (790 planned), M1285 medical treatment vehicle (216 planned), M1286 mission command (993 planned) and M1287 mortar carrier vehicle (386 planned). The first AMPV prototype was rolled out in December 2016, and the first production vehicles began rolling out in September 2020. In March 2023, the U.S. Army delivered the first AMPVs to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. As of 5 August 2023, the AMPV had entered full-rate initial production.
The AMPV has a relatively long production schedule for a non-developmental vehicle of 13 years: 3 years for low-rate production and 10 years for full-rate production. The production plan was partly based on budgetary constraints, but also to be able to speed up production in the event of war or another contingency. 33 percent of an Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) is made up of M113s, which are not used in combat operations because they are less mobile and poorly protected than other combat vehicles in an ABCT. Full-rate production should build just under 300 AMPV vehicles per year, but the ability is there to quickly increase production if an ABCT needed to deploy to combat. Letting industry build as fast as possible regularly only to stop it later is seen as irresponsible.
