General Dynamics submitted one Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle prototype to the US Marine Corps for testing in 2023. (General Dynamics Land Systems )
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has approved the prototype design for the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) 30 mm autocannon variant, a spokesperson told Janes on 27 November.
Initial contracts for the prototype development were awarded to Textron Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems in March 2024. A contract modification for Textron worth more than USD10 million was awarded on 25 November, and General Dynamics is expected to receive a “similar” contract, USMC spokesperson Morgan Blackstock said on 27 November.
Taking place in Hunt Valley, Maryland, work on the prototype is expected to be completed by January 2026, according to the 25 November press release.
Textron's design was approved on 1 November, but General Dynamics' design approval is still pending, Blackstock told Janes on 3 December. The approval is expected by the end of December.
The original contracts awarded indicated that prototypes would be delivered by fiscal year (FY) 2025. However, there will be no delay in prototype activity because of the way the initial contract was designed, Blackstock told Janes.
“The contract was always structured with a design component as a base effort, with the build option to be exercised once the design was approved,” she said. “The effort is on schedule to meet its objectives.”
The design was approved “recently”, she noted.
The contracts' funding comes from FY 2025 research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E), according to the press release.
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