Ground Combat Vehicle


The Ground Combat Vehicle was a program initiated by the United States Army in 2009, with the goal of developing a next-generation armored fighting vehicle. The first variant of the GCV to be developed would be an infantry fighting vehicle to replace the M2 Bradley.
The program was intended to provide increased protection and firepower for ground troops, with a focus on improved crew survivability. The Army planned on acquiring 1,874 GCV infantry fighting vehicles to replace Bradleys in 16 active and 8 National Guard Heavy Brigade Combat Teams. In 2011, the Army selected BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems to move forward with the GCV program.
The program faced significant challenges from the start, including limited funding and concerns about the weight of the vehicle. The GCV was designed to be heavily armored and to transport a fully equipped squad of nine soldiers, something the Bradley could not do. This requirement necessitated adding significant weight to the vehicle, making it less mobile.
The Army canceled the GCV program in 2014 due to the service's budget constraints. The cancellation of the GCV program marked a setback for the U.S. Army, which had been looking to modernize its armored fighting vehicle fleet for many years. The Department of Defense had canceled the Army's previous combat vehicle program, Future Combat Systems Manned Ground Vehicles in 2009.
After the cancelation of the GCV program, the U.S. Army shifted its focus to upgrading its existing fleet of Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Canceling the GCV freed up Army development resources to proceed with the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, the service's replacement for the M113 armored personnel carrier family. The Army has embarked on a comprehensive combat vehicle acquisition effort called Next Generation Combat Vehicle, which includes AMPV within its scope. In 2018 the Army established what came to be known as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program, the modern successor to the GCV infantry fighting vehicle effort.

Development

Background

The U.S. Army's M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle entered service in 1983. Although production ended in 1995, it was upgraded numerous times over the years.
The U.S. Army's efforts to develop a successor to the Bradley began in the mid-1980s under the Armored Systems Modernization program. The Army studied a family of vehicles utilizing common components. A heavy chassis variant would replace vehicles ranging from howitzers, main battle tanks and Bradleys. This effort was canceled in 1992 due to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The post–Cold War period saw the Army begin to realize the importance of deploying globally on short notice to small-scale contingencies. In 2000 U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki laid out his vision for a lighter, more transportable force. He called for a mid-weight unit that would strike a balance between heavy armor and infantry. Shinseki said such a unit would be geared toward for operations short of war. The Army was to do this by investing in an interim fleet that would herald the way to a much more advanced subsequent generation of vehicles. The Army initiated the Interim Armored Vehicle program that year. The resulting Stryker wheeled combat vehicle family entered service in 2002.
The Army initiated the Future Combat Systems program in 2000. The combat vehicle component of FCS was the Manned Ground Vehicles program, a family of eight vehicles including an IFV. By substituting active protection systems for armor, the Army sought to reduce the weight of a Manned Ground Vehicle to 20 tons, with transportability by C-130 being the limiting factor. This weight requirement proved difficult to meet. Weight at full combat capability had risen to 27 tons by January 2007.

Initial program

announced his intention of halting funding for the FCS in April 2009. In May, Army and Department of Defense representatives outlined plans for the cancellation of Future Combat Systems and the initiation of the Ground Combat Vehicle program in its place.
In June 2009, a blue-ribbon panel met in Washington D.C. to determine the requirements for the Ground Combat Vehicle. It was concluded at this meeting that an infantry fighting vehicle was to be the first vehicle variant fielded. Later that month, FCS was formally dissolved and many programs including the Manned Ground Vehicle program were canceled with it.
In October and November 2009, the Army held informational sessions for potential GCV contractors. Also that month, Program Executive Office Integration was established to oversee subsystems of BCT Modernization including the GCV. A required review was held and passed in February 2010 in Washington. The GCV request for proposals was issued in February 2010. It was revealed in the RfP that the GCV would be a cost-plus contract.
By the May deadline, four proposals were submitted.
In July, management of the GCV was transferred from PEO Integration to PEO Ground Combat Systems with Andrew DiMarco as project manager. In May, a team was formed to expedite the GCV's seven-year development time. For fiscal year 2011, the U.S. Army sought to spend $934 million of the $2.5 billion allocated for BCT Modernization to develop the GCV.
Up to three competitive contracts were to be awarded by early fall. A prototype development contract decision would have followed by 2013. The Technology Development Phase would begin in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2010 with the award of up to three vehicle contracts. This was to be followed by an Engineering & Manufacturing Development phase and Low Rate Initial Production phase before full production could start.
Nine vehicles were evaluated in the Army's 2011 Analysis of Alternatives for the GCV. The four primary vehicles included in the AOA were the M2A3 Bradley II, a modernized Stryker, an M2A3 Bradley variant used in Iraq, and a XM1230 Caiman Plus MRAP. The five secondary vehicles included two unnamed foreign-made platforms, the M1126 Stryker IFV, the M1A2 SEP TUSK Abrams main battle tank, and a modernized M1 Abrams. Vehicles included the AOA were determined to be inferior to the planned GCV.
In August 2010 the Army retracted its request for proposals after the team assembled in May recommended that the Army either upgrade the existing ground vehicle fleet or rewrite the requirements. A new RFP was to be issued 60 days later. When Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army Peter Chiarelli was asked if the Army was developing an alternative to the GCV, Chiarelli replied "We're totally committed to GCV." The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform suggested deferring development of the GCV until after 2015.
;Projections
The Technology Development Phase was to begin with the award of up to three vehicle contracts in late FY2010. The Army planned to spend $7.6 billion during this phase.
The Engineering and Manufacturing Development Phase was to begin with two prototype development contracts awarded in the beginning of FY2013. The first prototypes would be manufactured mid-FY2015.
The Low Rate Initial Production Phase was to begin with a low-rate production contract awarded in mid FY2016. Less than two years after the contract award LRIP would begin. After more testing a battalion-sized team would be attained in FY2018 followed by a brigade-sized arsenal in FY2019.
The Army would then decide whether to go into full-rate production. The Army planned on procuring 1,450 IFVs at a total program cost of $40 billion.

Revised program

An industry day was held in October in Dearborn, Michigan. The Army reduced its requested FY 2011 budget to $462 million. Advanced Defense Vehicle Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, and BAE Systems announced their intention of re-competing soon after the cancellation.
The revised RfP was issued in November. ADVS announced that it would not submit a proposal due to the program's extended timeline.
Up to three cost-plus contracts were to be awarded nine months after the RfP was released. The Army delivered an analysis of alternatives to Congress in April 2011. The notional GCV fared well compared to comparable vehicles including the Stryker and foreign counterparts such as the Israeli Namer and German Puma. An acquisition decision memorandum in August 2011 allowed the program to award technology development contracts. It also initiated two reviews of alternatives including a revised analysis of alternatives and an analysis of non-developmental vehicles. In August, the Army awarded technology development contracts to BAE and GDLS. BAE was awarded $450 million while GDLS was awarded $440 million. SAIC protest the award later that month, saying it believed the evaluations process was flawed and the evaluation took factors into consideration that were not stated in the request for proposal. The Army suspended work on the GCV until December, when the Government Accountability Office denied SAIC's protest.
;Projections
The Army requested $884 million to fund the GCV in FY 2012. The technology development phase was to be a 24 months long, 3 months shorter than the previous plan. The Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase was to be 48 months long. The Army planned on acquiring 1,874 GCVs to replace Bradleys in 16 active and 8 National Guard Heavy Brigade Combat Teams.
;Milestone A
Testing of commercially available combat vehicles began in May 2012 at Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range to prepare the Army for Milestone B. The non-developmental vehicle analysis assessed five vehicles, the M2A3 Bradley, Namer, CV-9035, a double v-hulled M1126 infantry carrier vehicle and a turretless Bradley. The tests, completed that month, were carried out to determine what vehicle variants and configurations fulfill the Army's needs. The Army found that although the vehicles assessed met some GCV requirements, no currently fielded vehicle met enough without needing significant redesign.
;Competitors
There were three competing contractors for the Ground Combat Vehicle contract.
;Milestone C
A Milestone C decision could have been made in 2019.