In the wake of some uncertainty about acquisition timelines for the Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) arising from budget documents, the Army clarified extensions for two phases of the program.
The service extended the Technology Development (TD) phase by six months, according to a service statement provided to Defense Daily. It also extended the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase by six months for a total of 12 months.
The six-month TD extension “provides necessary time to fully update the GCV’s analysis of alternatives, ensuring the Army is properly positioned to reach an informed, validated and fixed requirements set prior to Milestone B,” the service statement said.
The additional six months added to EMD addresses “fiscal constraints in the out years and provide more time to leverage maturing technologies,” the service said.
That change moves the Milestone C completion date to FY 2019.
Also, a Defense Department acquisition decision memorandum in January 2013 directed that only one contractor team move ahead into EMD, in the interest of affordability, instead of the original plan to move both contractors into that phase.
“This acquisition strategy adjustment not only illustrates sound financial judgment, it also illustrates the Army’s initiative to modernizing current platforms in a carefully considered and measured approach,” the service said in a statement.
The Army has requested $592.2 million for the GCV program in the fiscal year 2014 budget request. Both BAE Systems and General Dynamics [GD] are working under contract on the TD phase.