Army Releasing Infantry Squad Vehicle RFP In April, Awarding Prototype Contracts In August

The Army has finalized its acquisition strategy for the lightweight, air-droppable Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) program with plans to release a final request for proposals in April followed by prototype contract awards in August.

Officials released updated ISV program objectives on Thursday including plans to award a final production contract in March 2020 for over 2,000 vehicles and increase initial production quantities for the program’s first five years from 261 to 621 vehicles.

ISV is the Army’s official Ground Mobility Vehicle program of record, which follows a decision last May to utilize a U.S. Special Operations Command contract to rapidly field the similar lightweight, air-droppable Flyer GMV, built by General Dynamics [GD].

Over 100 of the Flyer GMV’s, which reflect many of the ISV requirements, are being delivered to three Army airborne infantry units.

“The ISV is a lightweight, high mobility platform that shall be transportable by all means including vertical lift, via CH-47 and UH-60, and Low Velocity Air Drop,” officials wrote in an request for information released in September. “The ISV requires mobility for a 9-soldier infantry squad with associated equipment to move around the close battle area.”

Officials wrote in the RFI they expect ISV to be dropped from the air by either a C-17 or C-130 and weight no more than 5,000 pounds.

The new program update, which arrived after the ISV requirements were approved on Feb. 22, shows the original program timeline detailed in the initial RFI has been delayed by about a month.

A draft RFP will be released on March 29, followed by an industry day on April 11.

A final RFP is expected to drop on April 18, with responses due by May 17.

Officials wrote they expect to award up to three prototype contracts on Aug. 20 for each vendor to deliver two test vehicles. Those vehicles would be delivered by Nov. 1.

A production contract for one vendor to deliver 2,065 vehicles is then expected to arrive in late March 2020.

While the program’s total number of vehicles has remained the same, officials have increased projected quantities for deliveries between FY ’20 and FY ’24 from 261 to 621 vehicles.

This includes 17 vehicles in FY ’20, 118 in FY  ’21, 177 in FY ’22, 177 in FY ’23 and 162 in FY ’24.