USA: BAE Systems to Upgrade AAV7A1 Assault Amphibious Vehicle

BAE Systems has received a contract from the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) to provide engineering design and development work related to survivability upgrades for the AAV7A1 Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV).

The contract, valued at more than $12 million, was one of two awarded following a competitive bid and evaluation process. It will allow the company to develop a solution that enhances the survivability and capability of approximately 40 percent of the USMC’s fleet.

“As the designer and original manufacturer of the global AAV fleet and a provider of Marine amphibious combat vehicle solutions for more than 50 years, BAE Systems continues to be a trusted partner to the U.S. Marine Corps,” said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of Combat Vehicles at BAE Systems. “We’re confident that we can deliver a new evolution in the design of the AAV that meets the ever-evolving challenges in the battlefield environment and provides even better protection for U.S. Marines.”

Work on this design and development contract will be performed in York (Pennsylvania), Santa Clara (California), Aiken (South Carolina), and Sterling Heights (Michigan).

The USMC is expected to make a down-select decision in early 2015, choosing a single supplier to move on to the engineering and manufacturing development prototype build phase of the program.

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Press Release, May 20, 2014; Image: BAE Systems