The five firms currently participating in the concept refinement phase for the Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program have all submitted proposals for the competition’s detailed design and prototype build phases, the companies confirmed to Defense Daily on Tuesday.
While specifics on the proposed designs remains limited, the companies vying for the Bradley replacement competition have indicated they are offering hybrid-electric vehicle solutions.
Tuesday was the deadline to submit proposals for OMFV Phases 3 and 4, with the Army previously noting there may be vendors interested in the open competition who are not currently participating in the program.
Last July, the Army awarded nearly $300 million in contracts to five teams led by General Dynamics Land Systems [GD], Oshkosh Defense [OSK], BAE Systems, American Rheinmetall Vehicles and armor supplier Point Blank Enterprises for OMFV Phase 2 to work on refining their platform concepts over a period of 15 months (Defense Daily, July 23 2021).
The Army will award up to three contracts for OMFV Phase 3 and 4, which will eventually require selected vendors to deliver up to 11 prototype vehicles.
“Our offering of a clean sheet, purpose-built fighting vehicle to the U.S. Army that combines state-of-the-art and proven technologies is essential to the future of the U.S. Army’s Infantry Fighting Vehicle,” Andy Corea, vice president and general manager for BAE Systems Combat Mission Systems, said in a statement. “Backed by our millions of miles of hybrid electric drive data, strong partnerships, and the experience necessary to design and deliver quality combat vehicles, BAE Systems’ offering will be agile, lethal, survivable and enable a two person crew with the growth needed to support future requirements—an offering we’re confident our soldiers will be unmatched in.”
Jim Miller, BAE Systems’ vice president of business development, told Defense Daily in October the company is planning to build all future combat vehicles with capability for hybrid-electric power, citing operational advancements in areas such as silent watch and improved maneuverability (Defense Daily, Oct. 11).
Oshkosh Defense, which is partnered with its Pratt Miller Defense subsidiary, South Korea’s Hanwha, Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, QinetiQ, and Plasan, confirmed its proposal for the next two phases of OMFV is also a hybrid-electric solution.
“We have brought together an elite team of global experts in combat vehicle and lethality design, digital engineering, and manufacturing excellence,” Pat Williams, Oshkosh Defense’s vice president and general manager of U.S. Army and Marine Corps programs, said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our strong partnership and collaboration with the U.S. Army to deliver a capability to the soldier that increases lethality, situational awareness, and tactical flexibility, while also offering the growth capacity for future mission systems as technologies and capabilities evolve.”
Oshkosh Defense’s hybrid-electric version of its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, the eJLTV, has participated in the Army’s Project Convergence experiment this fall (Defense Daily, Oct. 13).
GD Land Systems confirmed it submitted a bid as well, which follows its showcasing of hybrid-electric AbramsX and StrykerX technology demonstrator platforms at last month’s Association of the United States Army’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. (Defense Daily, Oct. 4).
“The Army’s vision for persistent modernization has been integral to our design from its inception, enabling efficient, affordable technology insertion and support for generations to come,” Gordon Stein, vice president and general manager of U.S. operations at General Dynamics Land Systems, said in a statement to Defense Daily. “Our OMFV solution builds upon our unparalleled track record of delivering best-in-class ground combat vehicles to the Army and its allies. We have designed from the inside out to integrate capabilities that deliver battlefield dominance through the convergence of superior information, decisions and actions. We look forward to continuing to partner with the Army to deliver this innovative capability to Soldiers for persistent dominance on the near-future battlefield.”
American Rheinmetall Vehicles, which is offering a hybrid-electric version of its Lynx fighting vehicle, also confirmed to Defense Daily it has officially submitted a bid.
“That’ll be the first of its kind in a combat vehicle for the U.S. Army. It’s capable of producing 200 kilowatts of power. So there’s more than enough power for this vehicle to grow over the years,” Mike Milner, American Rheinmetall Vehicles’ director of business development and strategy, told Defense Daily last month. “[Allison Transmission] came to us with the proposal for this hybrid transmission that will give us the ability to have the power. It’s a parallel hybrid system, so the engine’s the primary power source and we have a backup with the battery to provide some additional torque to the final drives, when needed, or to engage with silent watch.”
Point Blank Enterprises has also submitted its bid for OMFV Phases 3 and 4 and is offering a hybrid-electric design, Mark Edwards, the company’s executive vice president, confirmed to Defense Daily.
Edwards noted Point Blank Enterprises partners for OMFV include automotive firm Roush, Palantir Technologies [PLTR], Cummins [CMI], Germany’s Renk, Norway’s Kongsberg and Strategic Technology Consulting.
Army officials told reporters in July the maximum value for contracts awarded to each vendor selected for OMFV’s detailed design and prototype build phases is expected to be $903 million if all options are exercised (Defense Daily, July 5).
Proposals for OMFV Phase 3 and 4 will be broadly evaluated on projects performance of proposed systems at the digital level for lethality, protection and mobility, the vendors’ approach to open architecture and assessments on the value of each proposed bid, Brig Gen. Glenn Dean, program executive officer for ground combat systems, has said previously.