Marine Corps solidifies plans to contract GDLS and Textron for ARV-30 prototypes

The Marine Corps will award two separate contracts to Textron Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems for the design and construction of a new Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle prototype outfitted with a 30mm medium-caliber autocannon.

According to government notices posted last week by Army Contracting Command on behalf of the Marine Corps’ Program Manager for Light Armored Vehicles, Textron and General Dynamics will each be contracted to build their own ARV-30 prototypes, with options to also produce system integration laboratories for the new vehicles.

Though the notices provide few additional details on the upcoming award, a November 2023 sources-sought notice indicated each contract would be worth up to $17.5 million.

The two companies delivered initial ARV prototypes -- designed to provide command, control, communications and computer/uncrewed aerial systems capabilities -- in early fiscal year 2023.

After a year testing these C4UAS prototypes, the Marine Corps is looking to procure the ARV-30 variant for additional testing before launching the program’s engineering and manufacturing development phase. Last month, a General Dynamics executive told Inside Defense that the company had already started designing its ARV-30 prototype.

The service plans to procure a family of six ARV mission-role variants to replace the legacy Amphibious Assault Vehicle as the primary platform supporting the new mobile reconnaissance battalions.

Earlier this month, the Marine Corps announced it would postpone an ARV industry day, first scheduled for Feb. 29, to an undisclosed date later in FY-24 to further refine program requirements. At the industry day, the Marine Corps is expected to provide information on the upcoming EMD phase.

The service anticipates releasing a request for proposals in the second quarter of FY-25 and awarding an EMD contract in the second quarter of FY-26. FY-24 budget documents request $63.6 million in continuing research and development funding for the program and project procurement to begin in FY-28.