Marines Kick Tires on Future Amphib Vehicles | Military.com: At the Modern Day Marine expo here this week, Marines had a chance to kick the tires and test the seats of two competing versions of the Corps' future amphibious combat vehicle, the faster and more survivable successor to the aging assault amphibious vehicle.
For the first time, one company, the British defense firm BAE Systems, brought a production model to the show, one of 16 that will be delivered to the Marine Corps next year for testing. The other, Virginia-based SAIC, brought a pre-production model based on the Terrex infantry carrier already in use with the Singapore armed forces.
In an age when programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Ford-class supercarrier have blown past budget estimates and production deadlines in development, the ACV 1.1 is a rare thing: an acquisition good-news story.
Marine officials said both companies were expected to deliver the first batches of vehicles to the Marine Corps a month early, earning an incentive bonus in the process.
