via Military Technology.
MT asked if nations’ currently using the AAV vehicle would be invited to participate in the Marines’ upgrade program, a PEO official, requesting his name be withheld responded, “We have quite a few countries with vehicles as old as ours, obviously there’s a business opportunity for the program winner, at that point I am sure discussions regarding foreign military sales for the upgrade package will get more serious, we communicate with our AAV user partners on a regular basis and have been asked, although a few of these countries have developed their own upgrade programs so end-users actually may soon have options ranging from a standard rebuilt to a drastic modernisation and life extension, that’s what we intend to do.”Are they considering just doing a "drastic modernization and life extension and calling it a day when it comes to the AAV?
Is this the first clue that once again we're going to see the ACV/MPC canned because of budget pressures?
I'm not sure but the request not to have his name used is telling. Something controversial in Marine land is brewing at PEO Land.
The Marine Corps family is about to be pissed....especially if the bread crumbs lead to Marine Air starving the ground side so they can have more shiny new toys.
It is absolutely ridiculous that 30-40 year equipment is going to get band-aid upgrades, while the F-35 sucks the marine budget dry and continues to deliver nothing.
ReplyDeleteIf the AAV hangs around as long as they are planning on won't that be about the same as if we had used WW2 Sherman tanks in the first gulf war, if another conflict comes up before their service life ends anyway, which is likely.
ReplyDeletespot on...but a better analogy would be if we had kept the original LVT-1 in service until the 1st gulf war!
DeleteVery true, and frightening.
DeleteCan anyone provide a logical explanation for why full production cannot begin until 2018 with initial operating capability in 2019? Is it really that hard of an engineering task to add armor, put on a 30mm gun, add blast seats, ect? I would guess that a good team of mechanics and engineers could do that in months if allowed free reign to do so.
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