BAE delivers first full-rate production ACV-C

BAE Systems has delivered the first full-rate production Amphibious Combat Vehicle Command and Control variant to the Marine Corps, the company announced today.

The ACV-C -- designed to serve as a mobile command center for data collection, communications and battle management -- is the second ACV mission role variant in production at BAE’s Pennsylvania facility, following a personnel carrier version the Marine Corps began fielding in early fiscal year 2021.

“ACV-C provides true open-ocean and ship-to-objective amphibious capability, land mobility, survivability and ample growth capacity and flexibility to incorporate and adapt future technologies,” BAE’s release states.

The ACV-C is expected to achieve initial operational capability in March 2024, a program official said last year.

After procuring 72 ACVs in FY-23, the Marine Corps’ FY-24 budget request includes $557.5 million for 80 more of the vehicles and predicts procurement will exceed 100 vehicles in FY-25.

However, the program has experienced readiness challenges, with a series of waterborne training accidents in 2023 prompting the establishment of a new operation and maintenance training program within the Marine Corps’ Assault Amphibian School. More recently, a Marine was killed in December when an ACV rolled over during land-based training.

In addition to the ACV-P and ACV-C, BAE is building production-representative test vehicles for a third variant, the ACV-30, which is armed with a 30mm remote turret system.

The ACV Recovery variant (ACV-R), the fourth and final variant currently on contract with BAE, has completed phase one of the design process with test vehicle deliveries expected to begin in 2025, BAE’s announcement states.

“Through previous studies with the Marine Corps, BAE Systems has proven that the ACV is truly customizable and has the built-in growth capacity to integrate future mission critical technologies, including new battle management capabilities, advanced communications, multidomain targeting management, beyond-line-of-sight sensors and Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) with autonomous and unmanned systems,” the company announcement adds.