ST. LOUIS, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Boeing and SAIC said Wednesday they would assemble FCS Manned Ground Vehicles in Eglin, Ohio.
Boeing and the Science Applications International Corp. are jointly the lead systems Integrator for the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems program, working in cooperation with BAE Systems and General Dynamics.
"FCS MGV partner BAE Systems will construct and manage a 150,000 square foot facility at the Ft. Sill Industrial Park in Elgin. The facility will initially house production integration and assembly activities for the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon -- NLOS-C -- initial production platform, the first of eight FCS vehicle variants. Completion of the new facility is anticipated in 2009," Boeing said in a statement.
"The selection of Elgin represents a collaborative effort by industry, government and community leaders to bring growth to the region and to develop and field a family of more survivable, more agile and more sustainable MGVs that will provide unprecedented benefits to our soldiers," said Dennis Muilenburg, vice president-general manager, Boeing Combat Systems, and FCS program manager.
"The FCS MGV effort is on track and transitioning into the advanced stages of development and initial production, and Elgin and the state of Oklahoma will play an essential role in helping the FCS One Team achieve a common goal of getting FCS capabilities into the hands of war fighters as soon as possible," Muilenburg said.
"The Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon is the first of several FCS manned ground vehicles to be produced for the U.S. Army that will ensure our soldiers have battlefield capabilities second to none," said Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla.
"The NLOS-C, designed to provide a networked, extended range precision attack capability against point and area targets, will be fielded in 2010," Boeing said.
"Plans call for 18 NLOS-C initial production platforms to be delivered between fiscal years 2010 and 2012 at a rate of six per year, in advance of the Milestone C and low-rate initial production decisions in 2013. The first NLOS-C pre-production prototype vehicle is scheduled to roll out in spring 2008," the company said.
