SAIC contract for upgraded Marine vehicles advances

Sept. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marine Corps has ushered SAIC's survivability upgrade for the corps' assault amphibious vehicle into the program's production and deployment phase.

The decision requires SAIC to deliver 25 vehicles to the Marines over a two-year period. It was also accompanied by a low-rate initial production option for additional survivable upgrade vehicles, the Virginia-based company said in a news release Tuesday.

"SAIC is pleased to be moving into the LRIP phase for the AAV SU program and to begin delivering these important survivability and mobility enhancements out into the fleet and into the hands of our Marines," said Tom Watson, SAIC senior vice president and general manager of the Navy and Marine Corps Customer Group.

SAIC had already delivered 10 prototype survivability upgrades of assault amphibious vehicles to the Marine Corps. Survivability upgrades include advanced armor protection and blast-mitigating seats.

Under the LRIP contract, SAIC will provide survivability upgrades for 22 personnel carrier assault amphibious vehicles and three command-and-control variants. If all options of the contract are exercised, the value would be $145 million.