LOC Performance receives $49.1 million Bradley upgrade contract

July 17 (UPI) -- LOC Performance has received a $49.1 million modification to an existing contract for Bradley Fighting Vehicle modification kits and installation.

The modification, announced by the Department of Defense on Friday, is for the acquisition and modification work of 276 Bradley Engineering Change Proposal 1 kits and two sets of spare parts. This will be used to upgrade Bradley Fighting Vehicles weight-bearing systems and underbelly armor.

Work will be performed in Plymouth, Minn. with a projected completion date of April 30, 2019. Army 2017 procurement funds of $49.1 million were allocated upon award.

The Bradley Engineering Change Proposal program is designed to address issues facing the M2/M3 family of infantry fighting vehicles. Armor upgrades and Bradley Urban Survivability Kits installed since the Bradleys introduction place more stress on the Bradley chassis then it was originally designed for. The additional weight has lead to greater wear and tear and performance issues.

Engineering Change Proposal 1 installs heavy load-bearing tracks, torsion bars to restore ground clearance and improved underbelly armor. ECP 2 will upgrade the Bradleys power generation for use with Army networking and electronic warfare systems like improvised explosive device jammers.

The M2 Bradley is the primary tracked armored infantry fighting vehicle of the U.S. Army and has been produced in many variants, such as the M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle.

Standard models have a crew of three plus up to six fully equipped troops, and are armed with a 25mm Bushmaster autocannon, TOW anti-tanks missiles, and machine guns. Combat engineer, air-defense, and command-and-control variants have also been produced.

A turretless version of the Bradley called the Armored Multi Purpose Vehicle is slated to replace the M113 series of light armored personnel carriers currently in use.