US Army's GCV programme restructured, delayed

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has decided to alter and delay by at least six months the US Army's Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) programme due to budgetary pressure and a need for further development time.

The DoD's late January 2013 decision extends the technology development (TD) phase for the GCV by six months to allow the army and industry greater time to refine requirements and designs for the platform.

Army officials hope the programme can provide an infantry fighting vehicle with high levels of survivability and the space to carry a full squad of soldiers.

BAE Systems and General Dynamics were about halfway through a competitive TD phase for the GCV, with the next phase – called engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) – originally scheduled to begin with a request for proposals (RfP) in the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2013 (FY13). The EMD phase was to see two contractors compete with different designs.

Now, that EMD phase is to begin in late FY14. A "full and open competition" will be held as expected, but only one contractor team is to be used for the EMD and production phases of the programme, the Pentagon and army said.