IVECO’s defence vehicle division has grabbed a highly significant new contract as its 8x8 armoured amphibious vehicle will form the backbone of an important new order by the U.S. Marine Corps that could eventually add up to 204 vehicles.
For IVECO Defence Vehicles to get its foot in the door with the U.S. military, the world’s biggest defence customer, is an important occurrence for the ambitious Italian company as it aims to break out of its traditional markets and become a bigger name on the defence scene.
IVECO will provide its 8x8 amphibious armoured platform design, core components and services under a contract arrangement worth up to US$400 million US Dollars for the first four years, to support the contract that BAE Systems has just won with the U.S. Marine Corps to replace its current Cold War-era amphibious vehicles. The winning bid has been announced today.
BAE Systems, which teamed up with Iveco Defence Vehicles to tender for the contract, had to fight off competition from SAIC, the two companies having submitted prototypes for evaluation, a process that was completed last December.
“This award represents a milestone in the transformation of Iveco Defence Vehicles into a global player,” said Vincenzo Giannelli, President and CEO of Iveco Defence Vehicles. “Through our partnership with BAE Systems on this program, our knowhow and technical excellence have been recognised and are placed at the service of the U.S. Marine Corps. We now have the privilege of contributing to building the future of its amphibious combat vehicles.”
The initial award by the U.S. Marine Corps is for 30 vehicles to be delivered by late 2019, with options for a total of 204 vehicles. The U.S. Marine’s existing vehicles are being upgraded and so a full replacement will be progressive with the BAE Systems/IVECO Defence Vehicles platform expected to undergo further evolutions.
IVECO’s ACV (Amphibious Combat Vehicle) is an advanced 8x8 open ocean-capable vehicle that is equipped with a new 6-cylinder, 700hp engine, which provides a significant power increase over the current Assault Amphibious Vehicle.
The vehicle delivers best in class mobility in all terrain and has a suspended interior seat structure for thirteen embarked Marines, blast-mitigating positions for a crew of three, and improved survivability and force protection over currently fielded systems. The team has conducted extensive risk mitigation testing and evaluation for water operations, land mobility and survivability that have proven the solution’s capabilities.
Iveco Defence Vehicles and BAE Systems teamed together in the very early phases of this program to offer a superior solution to the US Marines for their ACV requirement. As a result of this successful teaming relationship, the first 16 prototypes were delivered to the Marine Corps in 2017.
Over the past 15 months, the companies supported the US Marine Corps’ Developmental Testing and Operational Assessment of these vehicles whose performance achieved superlative results for water operations, land operations, carry/payload, and protection.
As a leading provider of protected and integrated mobility solutions to military and civil protection customers, Iveco Defence Vehicles brings proven experience, having designed and built more than 30,000 multipurpose, protected and armoured military vehicles in service today.
Photos: IVECO Defence Vehicles - Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV)
