Naval Technology

US Marine Corps boosts amphibious power with $211m order

The order includes 40 full-rate production ACV Personnel (ACV-P) variants.

In a move to enhance its amphibious capabilities, the US Marine Corps has signed a $211m deal with BAE Systems.

The contract, part of the Marine Corps' fourth full-rate production order, underscores these platforms' critical role in meeting evolving operational demands.

The ACV 8x8 platform offers an open-ocean capability, land mobility, survivability, payload, and growth potential.

Garrett Lacaillade, vice president of amphibious vehicles at BAE Systems, emphasised the significance of the contract, stating, "With this contract and alongside our strategic partner, Iveco Defence Vehicles, we are able to continue to offer the Marine Corps predictability, stability, and continuity with production and the supply chain to deliver ACVs on time and on budget."

The order includes 40 full-rate production ACV-P variants, covering vehicle production, fielding and support costs, and support and test equipment. Notably, the ACV-P variant is the inaugural member of a four-vehicle family slated for production and delivery to the Marine Corps.

The lineup includes the ACV Command and Control (ACV-C), currently in production; the ACV 30mm Cannon (ACV-30), for which BAE Systems is under contract; and the ACV Recovery (ACV-R), presently in the design and development phase.

BAE Systems Plc will capture a 26.3% share of the military land vehicles market in North America with a forecast revenue of $16.6bn over the 2023–33 period, according to GlobalData.

Having commenced full-rate production in December 2020, BAE Systems delivered over 200 ACVs, demonstrating the programme's maturity. With production and support operations spread across various locations, including Aiken, South Carolina; San Jose, California; Stafford, Virginia; Sterling Heights, Michigan; and York, Pennsylvania, deliveries of the newly ordered vehicles are set to begin in April 2025.

In November, 2023, BAE Systems secured a similar $211.5m contract to bolster the US Marine Corps' capabilities by procuring 40 ACV Personnel variants. This contributes to the US's plan to procure 4,350 units of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle from BAE Systems between 2018 and 2040, with a programme cost reaching $22.3bn, per GlobalData's report on the military land vehicles market.