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Well finally we have a little...and I do mean little...view of the contenders in the ACV contest.
Ignoring the fact that this program has been going on for over a decade plus, ignoring the fact that it has been screwed up beyond recognition, and ignoring the fact that its so many years away from actually having a vehicle in battalions that YET ANOTHER upgrade of the AAV is going to take place (and even that won't happen till 2019!), we still see or rather still hear about some strange happenings among the manufacturers.
* Rumor has it that a MAJOR manufacturer is basically stabbing its partner in the back. My advice? Never team up with a corporation that is lacking in morals.The biggest worry is the time frame. These corporations won't keep design teams intact for a project that won't start cutting steel for another 5 or more years. It just doesn't make sense from an economic viewpoint.
* Rumor has it that a certain "information" corporation has been probing a competitor for information on their vehicle (call it the domestic version of North Korea vs. Sony).
We're still seeing the inertia from the past Commandant in action here. I have yet to see Dunford's fingerprints on the program or his hand on the wheel that is the Marine Corps. More to come I'm sure.
Any chance you can do a post detailing which vehicles are which? After all the tweaking that has been done to them, they are all starting to look alike to me. Maybe some background on what the base vehicle is. New Zealand (where I'm from) has a program called the Joint Amphibious Task Force which is meant to be a low threat level entry force. Vehicles like these may be a good addition but I doubt the politicians here would go for it. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeletewell from top to bottom they're the SAIC Terrex II, General Dynamics (don't know what its called but it looks like a plus sized Piranha 5 to me), BAE SuperAV, and Lockheed Martin Havoc. i'm gonna have to take a look at that JATF, sounds interesting. i'll do a rundown on what I THINK might have been done but all these guys are playing it real close to the vest.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the JATF isn't that interesting. It's not a forceful entry unit. It's meant to cover low threats/humanitarian aid primarily to our pacific neighbours. It will, however, involve close co-operation between the different services. We shall see how that turns out.
ReplyDeleteYour point on companies not waiting around for years is a very painful yet important point, Sab can tell you about the Indian M-777 buy where they sat on a decision for so long the factory lines closed and it caused the cost to shoot up by what, 30%?
ReplyDeleteI can see the US dittering so much that they end up getting 2/3 of what they could have gotten if they had been a bit quicker off the mark.
One very important consideration is outside support by other countries long enough for the US to make up their minds. I know the Super has a Brazilian contract and a possible Italian one, Patria has South Africa, Terrex has Indonesia, not sure about GD.
Regardless of costs, you take one look at all these vehicles and not one of them looks convincing and a realistic replacement of the current AAV. This is a last ditch attempt to get a vehicle in service and from the looks of it, it has already trancended into a Jobs for the Boys type of procurement.
DeleteM777, Rafael, Scorpene, Light Utility Helicoptor etc. all bear the same tag. Dithering decision making based on an improper/inaccurate foundation. In the end everyone is desperate for a decision and will accept just about anything as long as someone makes a decision.
Really? From their technical stats, they look like they have already overtaken the AAV in most areas save capacity. You do realize that most of them, if not all of them are already in service in other armies in one form or another, so saying that they are not ready for service or that their technical package is wishful thinking misses the line between designed equipment and hardware tested on the ground.
DeleteUnless you are the kind that says that the next AAV must look like the current AAV as well, which is an... odd.. stance that bases more on looks than performance.
More likely the holdup is due to the US being unable to fork out the cash to buy these things. The first supplier to offer them a long term installment plan may be the winner.
And yet somehow, I remain sceptical about them. Something just does not add up here.
DeleteYes what doesn't add up is called S-E-Q-U-E-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N. The politicos can't bear to give up their pet projects, so they shoved the shortfall onto the military who somehow have to buy things without the ability to pay people.
DeleteVehicle wise, these things are as heavy as some "medium tanks" like the Bradley. That is a lot of armour for an APC, especially for those familiar with things like the M-113, AAV and F-432s. Personally, I don't think we hit the end of their capabilities growth too. We have yet to see a mini-MRLS 8x8 with NLOS missiles though we have already hit the "big gun" 8x8 with 105mm Mobile Gun systems or an air defence SAM 8x8 yet.