ACV questions answered and development path clarified.

I've been scouring the internet looking for information on how HQMC could be pushing the ACV as the solution to the ancient AAV while not delivering an increase in capability (at least on paper).  General Mullen (he's at 29 Palms now...poor bastard...I guess he went rogue and pissed in someone's Cheerios!) basically told me to "sit down, chill the fuck out cause they got this shit" and from my glance around the net I think he might have been right. Check this out from Armor and Mobility Mag.

"In the higher protection offered by the ACV such as added armor and underbelly configurations like a V-hull, the biggest distinguisher between what are likely to be two similarly-capable platforms is a better protection package and ground mobility offered by the ACV" 

So that answers that.

The thinking is that the ACV will offer better protection and ground mobility. The upgrade path has also been a matter of concern for many of my readers. I know the answer on this one from doing a little bit of scanning my brain housing group.  Remember ACV 1.1 was suppose to be just a protection upgrade (really didn't remember the increase in mobility being much talked about) but the ACV 1.2 was suppose to add the capability to swim from ship to shore.

If you think back you'll remember BAE/Iveco and SAIC/ST Kinetics both crowing about how their vehicles were already meeting that requirement (and the contract was constructed so that "extra points" were given for increased capabilities...that is over and beyond ACV 1.1 requirements).

Later the Program Office chimed in with the thinking that they would be getting a vehicle that could swim to shore and how ACV 1.2 requirements would be satisfied with this initial buy.

I tend to believe them on this point.

This leaves us with trying to figure out what ACV 1.3 is going to give us.  From my reading ACV 1.3 is going back to the EFV concept to determine if a true high water speed vehicle is technologically feasible.  Its suppose to be a follow on to ACV 1.3 work to attain even higher water speed while maintaining ground combat mobility and survivability.

ACV 2.0 is pure fiction.  We won't see it in our lifetime...by the time ACV 2.0 is achievable the Marine Corps will have moved to space combat and that will be our new ocean we have to swim (float-spacewalk-do extravehicular movements?) across.

Apologies if this is disjointed but I hope its clear.  ACV 1.1/1.2 in the form of the winner of this downselect will be the AAV replacement.  For better or worse we're going wheels boys.  YATS-YAS (you ain't tracks, you ain't shit) is now YAWS-YAS (you ain't WHEELS, you ain't shit)? That's gonna take some getting used to!