WARREN, Mich., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army Wednesday released a request for proposals for the technology development phase for a new infantry fighting vehicle.
The Army anticipates awarding up to three contracts for the technology development phase in the early third quarter of 2011, with delivery of the first production vehicle within seven years of the initial contract award.
The ground combat vehicle, for delivering a nine-soldier infantry squad to the battlefield, will be the first vehicle specifically designed and developed to operate in an improvised explosive device environment, the Army said.
The Army said its "Big Four" imperatives for the project are:
Related
--Force Protection: achieving a threshold level of protection for all occupants against the threats identified in the classified annex of the GCV IFV Performance Specification.
--Capacity: The ability to carry a fully-equipped nine soldier Infantry squad in addition to crew.
--Full Spectrum: the ability of the vehicle to adapt and/or enhance capabilities through configuration changes of armor and network while providing for growth over time in terms of size, weight, power and cooling.
--Timing in the delivery and acceptance of the first production GCV IFV vehicle within seven years of the TD phase contract award.
The government's average unit manufacturing cost target for the GCV IFV program is $9,000,000 to $10,500,000 per unit expressed in government fiscal year 2010 constant dollars.
The prime contractors selected for the technology development phase will focus on the identification of effective and affordable vehicle technologies, development -- including preliminary design -- of competitive vehicle component prototypes, planned technical reviews and reduction of program schedule risk, the Army said.
