The five companies that participated in the concept design phase for the Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle all submitted proposals for the next phases of the competition ahead of a Nov. 1 deadline, they confirmed to Inside Defense.
The five companies, General Dynamics Land Systems, BAE Systems, Oshkosh Defense, Rheinmetall and Point Blank Enterprises, were awarded a combined $299.4 million last year to participate in the concept design phase.
The Nov. 1 deadline, a solicitation for the detailed design and prototype build and test phases, was an open competition, meaning that additional companies outside of those five could still propose bids.
The Army said in a statement that it could not disclose the number of companies that submitted proposals nor the names of the companies, and it was not immediately known if an additional company submitted a bid.
In a statement, the Army’s program executive office for ground combat systems said the service "remains committed to the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program, one of our top modernization priorities.”
The service intends to award “up to three contracts for the OMFV Detailed Design and Prototype Build and Test phases in the 3rd quarter of fiscal year 2023,” the statement said.
All five proposals from the concept design phase were hybrid-electric vehicles, which the companies decided were the best way to meet flexible Army requirements for the program.
That includes the bid from Florida-based Point Blank Enterprises, a non-traditional contractor for a large ground vehicle contract. The company's primary products are body armor and other protective equipment for individuals.
The company’s executive vice president, Mark Edwards, confirmed to Inside Defense that the company had submitted its proposal ahead of the deadline for phases three and four.
BAE Systems builds the Bradley Fighting Vehicle that the Army is seeking to replace with the OMFV.
“Our offering of a clean sheet, purpose-built fighting vehicle to the U.S. Army that combines state-of-the-art and proven technologies is essential to the future of the U.S. Army’s Infantry Fighting Vehicle,” Andy Corea, vice president and general manager for BAE Systems Combat Mission Systems, said in a statement.
General Dynamics is the Army's other major supplier of tracked combat vehicles.
“We look forward to continuing to partner with the Army to deliver this innovative capability to Soldiers for persistent dominance on the near-future battlefield,” Gordon Stein, vice president and general manager of U.S. operations at General Dynamics Land Systems, said in a statement.
Oshkosh, which has teamed with the Korean firm Hanwha Defense for the OMFV, currently controls most of the Army's tactical wheeled vehicle contracts.
“Our decades of experience working with the U.S. military to support their unique mission requirements with innovative ground vehicle solutions positions us strongly for this next phase of the competition,” Pat Williams, vice president and general manager, U.S. Army and Marine Corps Programs at Oshkosh Defense, said in a statement.
American Rheinmetall is a subsidiary of Rheinmetall, a German defense contractor that produces the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle. The company has teamed with L3Harris and Raytheon for the OMFV. A spokeswoman for the company confirmed to Inside Defense that it had met the Nov. 1 deadline.