13:57 GMT, August 2, 2012 WASHINGTON | The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified U.S. Congress July 31 of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Government of Brazil for 26 Assault Amphibious Vehicles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $233 million.Wow.
The Government of Brazil has requested the possible sale of 26 Assault Amphibious Vehicles (AAVs)/Reliability, Availability and Maintainability/Rebuild to Standard (RAM/RS), with ancillary equipment, and machine guns. Also included are the upgrade of Brazil’s existing AAVs to the RAM/RS configuration, weapons and ammunition, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $233 million.
The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of Brazil, which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in South America.
Brazil will use this equipment to augment its current inventory of amphibious vehicles and to modernize and strengthen its naval operational amphibious capability in support of national defense objectives. Brazil will have no difficulty absorbing these vehicles into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The AAVs will be procured through a competitive procurement. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
Just plain wow. This is surprising news to me. I assumed that Brazil was on the road to going to an all wheeled force having acquired the VBTP.
What exactly does this mean? I ask because the Brazilian Marines have operated their Piranha III wheeled APC's in Haiti during peacekeeping/disaster relief and have conducted "internal security ops" inside Rio with those same vehicles.
Did they experience deficiencies that have led them back to tracked vehicles?
But the big winner is BAE. Even if they rebuild vehicles from Marine Corps stocks (and by this announcement it looks like these are new builds) then they'll gain some pretty solid info for the upcoming AAV upgrade program.
Nice win boys...I heard the design shop likes Jamie almost as much as I do so here's your Friday eye candy.
So for the cost of 2 fewer EA-18G's we could equip an entire Cavalry Squadron with upgraded, zero-lifed AAV's and give the Australian Army a REAL company level amphibious insertion capability?
ReplyDeleteSign me up!!!
ah so now you come over to my side....its only a matter of time. the biggest issue isn't the vehicle cost it will be the vehicle mix in Australia. with what i'm seeing out of General Dynamics i almost see a move on their part to try and sell you guys some LAV II tech demonstrators to push commonality.
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