BAE Systems has selected Kongsberg’s Medium Caliber Turret-30mm (MCT-30) for the turreted variant of the Marine Corps’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), with an initial deal in place covering delivery of 150 turrets.
Kongsberg announced the deal Wednesday and said the company will provide initial test articles for the remotely-operated MCT-30 to BAE Systems in early 2021.
“The ACV-30 with Kongsberg’s MCT-30 turret signifies a powerful lethality capability for the Marine Corps, representative of a new era in U.S. amphibious operations,” Pål Bratlie, executive vice president of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, said in a statement.
BAE Systems told Defense Daily last September the company was soliciting offerings for the turreted ACV variant, and confirming a delivery for three ACV-30 vehicles will be scheduled following the Marine Corps’ integration evaluation of the unmanned turret system in late 2020 (Defense Daily, Sept. 17 2019).
The Marine Corps awarded BAE Systems a $67 million contract modification last summer to develop two ACV variants, the ACV-30 and a command and control configuration (Defense Daily, June 25 2019).
Kongsberg noted its MCT-30 was chosen by the Army in 2015 to enhance the lethality of its Stryker Brigade in Europe and that it has also been the primary weapon system for Infantry Carrier Vehicle – Dragoon (ICV-D) Strykers.