Combat Vehicles

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy today said the service’s decision to cancel and restart its Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle solicitation at the start of the year "was received very well" by Congress, while Army leaders are still declining to put forward a detailed timeline for development.

The Army has approved the M109A7 self-propelled howitzer, also known as Paladin Integrated Management, to enter full-rate production, Inside Defense has learned.

For the second time, Army is opening the competition for the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, releasing today a new market survey tied to a minimally prescriptive wish list and a strategy that shifts most of the initial cost burden to the service, in a bid to regain industry's trust after a faulty start.

The Army expects BAE Systems' delivery of the first low-rate initial production Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle in March, which reflects a two-month delay that "will have a significant effect on the remaining test schedule," according to the Pentagon's top weapons tester.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville today said the Army will do more in the future to negotiate with industry on requirements for the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program, which the service canceled last week in its prototype phase.

The Army today canceled the current Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program and plans to restart the competition later, at a time yet to be determined, following an analysis and revision of the requirements.

The Government Accountability Office has noticed the Defense Department's increased emphasis on accelerating its notoriously slow acquisition system, but the watchdog agency is concerned weapon system reliability might be sacrificed at the expense of speed.

As the Army reaches an inflection point with autonomy and artificial intelligence to face near-peer competitors, the service is encouraging traditional defense contractors to take it in stride by including new technology requirements in requests for proposals.

The first Extended Range Cannon Artillery prototype is going through final assembly at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, and the Army expects to test it in the next 30 days.