News
June 28, 2023
GAO: next gen fighting vehicle programme lacks validity and reliability
The US Army has incentivised competition for the next generation fighting vehicle – despite its lack of evidence for the concept’s validity and reliability.
By John Hill
The US Department of Defense (DoD) has released details of the contracts for the two designs. The department awarded American Rheinmetall $812.5m and General Dynamics $768.6m for their design prototypes for phases three and four of the OMFV programme. The DoD expects the designs to be ready by 27 December 2027.
After several unsuitable programmes – from the Future Combat System in 1999 to the Next Generation Combat Vehicle in 2018, from which the OMFV developed – the US Army seeks to replace its enduring fleet of Bradley fighting vehicles. These platforms first entered service in the US and Saudi Arabia in 1981.
The GAO found that the Army’s report to Congress did not include enough information to draw conclusions regarding the validity and reliability of the force structure and operational concepts analyses completed as of March 2023, despite the fact that the Army has already narrowed its choices down to two competing designs.
https://www.army-technology.com/news/gao-next-gen-fighting-vehicle-programme-lacks-validity-and-reliability/
