The Dead District: 2020-08-30

Thursday, September 3, 2020

When the Couguar MRAP meet the big IED

Georgian Army 31th Infantry Battalion's damaged Cougar MRAP Evacuation. Afghanistan, Helmand province, 15 October of 2010

First production Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle ready for delivery to U.S. Army

The first Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) has driven off the BAE Systems production line to be delivered to the U.S. Army.

The AMPV is central to the Army’s modernization objectives and comes in five variants to meet a wide range of missions across the battlefield.

“Finalizing the first AMPV for delivery marks a major milestone for the program and the U.S. Army,” said Bill Sheehy, AMPV program director for BAE Systems’ Ground Vehicles product line. “The AMPV is designed to meet the Army’s missions for the Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCT), and lay the foundation for the future of the battlefield.”

Identified by the Army as a top priority for safety and survivability, the AMPV family provides the Army with a highly survivable and mobile fleet of vehicles that address a critical need to replace the Vietnam War-era M113s and maneuver with the ABCT in challenging terrain on the front lines.

The Mission Command vehicle will be the first vehicle delivered and is the cornerstone of the Army's ABCT Network Modernization Strategy. It facilitates digital mission command, taking advantage of increased volume, protection, power and cooling capabilities and provides flexibility and growth capacity for command, control, communications and computer capabilities.

The other variants in the AMPV family include:

the General Purpose vehicle: operates throughout the battle space to conduct resupply, maintenance, and alternate casualty evacuation from point of injury;

the Mortar Carrier: provides immediate, and responsive, heavy mortar fire support to the ABCT in the conduct of fast-paced offensive operations;

the Medical Evacuation vehicle: enables immediate treatment or evacuation at the point of injury to either ambulatory or litter casualties;

the Medical Treatment vehicle: is the first of its kind, serving as an “operating room on tracks” for life-sustaining care to Soldiers suffering from life-threatening injuries.

“The AMPV family of vehicles provides significant power, mobility, interoperability, and survivability improvements for the ABCT,” said Jeremy Tondreault, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems’ Combat Mission Systems. “The AMPV has demonstrated outstanding survivability and force protection as well as flexibility and growth for the future.”

The AMPV has built-in growth to add new capabilities as technology evolves, including enhanced power generation for advanced electronics, and network connectivity. This gives the Army a vehicle to execute today’s missions, with the ability to adapt to future technologies and capabilities.

The AMPV has completed nearly two dozen Army tests and has consistently met or exceeded all of its requirements.

Under the current low rate initial production contract awarded in 2018, BAE Systems will deliver more than 450 of the highly mobile, survivable, multi-purpose vehicles. Work on the AMPV program takes place across BAE Systems’ industrial network, which includes facilities in Aiken, S.C., Anniston, Ala., Phoenix, Ariz., Sterling Heights, Mich., and York, Penn.