The M1297 Army Ground Mobility Vehicle (A-GMV or AGMV), previously just GMV, and formerly called the Ultra Light Combat Vehicle (ULCV), is a U.S. Army
airdrop
An airdrop is a type of airlift in which items including weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid or leaflets are delivered by military or civilian aircraft without their landing. Developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible tro ...
pable light off-road vehicle for
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
brigades. The A-GMV is produced by
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...
. The design is closely based on the
M1288 GMV 1.1, which is itself based on the
Flyer 72.
In March 2015, the Army changed the name of the Ultra Light Combat Vehicle to the Ground Mobility Vehicle. A-GMV is intended to be carried internally in a
CH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Piasecki Helicopter, Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems#Background, Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is a ...
or externally by a
UH-60 Black Hawk
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System ...
. In order to be survivable but transportable, the GMV would be lightly armored and use speed, maneuverability, and off-road mobility to avoid major threats. The A-GMV is configured to carry an airborne infantry combat squad of nine paratroopers, and their gear – a payload capacity of over . The vehicle has an open design, modifiable into flexible configurations, by remote and manned turrets, armor, or arctic kits.
[Army Ground Mobility Vehicles 1.1 delivered to US Army , October 2018 Global Defense Army Security industry News]
/ref>
The AGMV was a limited purchase through USSOCOM's GMV 1.1 program. The Infantry Squad Vehicle
The Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) is an air-transportable high-speed, light utility vehicle selected by the United States Army in 2020 It is based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 platform. An ISV can carry nine infantrymen. Fielding begins in 2021, a ...
will be purchased in greater numbers.
Background
A-GMV is meant to be light and fast and deliver soldiers from a drop zone far from enemy air defenses or indirect fire systems. Five vehicles would carry a platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
headquarters, three rifle squads, and a weapons squad. The vehicle is seen as a "21st century jeep
Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...
" to move troops around during an initial attack faster than the enemy can counter them with heavy weapons. Both the GMV and LRV are to replace sling-loaded Humvee
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...
s in this role (but not for other units). Interest in the effort is expected on the scale of the U.S. Special Operations Command
The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Arm ...
program to replace the Ground Mobility Vehicle, which also sought to replace a Humvee-based vehicle with a lighter and more air-mobile design. Airborne infantry brigades would use the vehicles to rush forces from their airborne insertion point to seize an objective, which would become a forward airfield for reinforcing and deploying heavier follow-on forces. After follow-on forces arrive and set up positions, the ULCV would not be as useful, but could potentially allow troops to operate for up to a week without support.[US Army considers three new light vehicles designs](_blank)
- Armyrecognition.com, 17 September 2014
Army officials consider the GMV a needed addition to a global response force like the 82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
. Currently, airdropped infantry would be flown to a target area or driven there by trucks. Either way, they then need to dismount and walk the distance to their destination, sometimes for many miles while carrying heavy gear. The GMV would allow light infantry to be driven right to their destination, allowing them to be airdropped further away from potential enemy fire and use mobility to find an off-road avenue of approach an adversary isn't expecting, and not be fatigued once they need to fight. The idea was to acquire up to 300 vehicles by the end of 2016 at a unit cost of $149,000, which could decrease if a second increment was bought and stationed at installations for training; predicted dates were not certain as the entire effort remains subject to funding availability. Ability to be carried under a UH-60 Black Hawk in high/hot conditions is particularly important because battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
commanders cannot always get control of a CH-47 to carry heavier up-armored Humvees.
History
In January 2014, the Army issued a notice to industry for a commercial-off-the-shelf
Commercial off-the-shelf or commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) products are packaged or canned (ready-made) hardware or software, which are adapted aftermarket to the needs of the purchasing organization, rather than the commissioning of ...
air-droppable "Ultra Light Combat Vehicle" (ULCV). The information collated was used to examine the benefit of an ULCV to support mobility for Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) soldiers. The information received was used by the MCOE to screen COTS solutions for a potential follow-on static display and proof of principal event.
A Platform Performance Demonstration (ULCV-PPD) was subsequently held at Fort Bragg in June 2014 to allow potential contractors to demonstrate the capability of their vehicles.
The PPD had vehicles demonstrate a range of threshold requirements including being driven onto and out of a CH-47
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name ...
with a full nine-man squad and their equipment on board, ability to operate on various forms of terrain, be rigged and de-rigged by two soldiers within two minutes for sling-load operations, and others. Threshold requirements identify the maximum curb weight
Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity.
Curb or kerb weight
Curb weight (U.S. English) or kerb ...
of the vehicle at 4,500 lb with a range of . Six vendors took part in the technology demonstration and compared their vehicles to the Humvee
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...
as part of a global response force mission.
;Candidates
The following is a list of vehicles provided at the Platform Performance Demonstration:
* General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...
with the M1288 GMV 1.1, A (US)SOCOM vehicle based on the Flyer 72.[
* Vyper Adamas, Inc. proposed their V3X Tactical Vehicle.
* Polaris Defense proposed its Deployable Advanced Ground Off-road (DAGOR) vehicle.
* ]Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
-MSI Defense with its Phantom Badger
The Boeing Phantom Badger, or simply the Badger, is a combat support vehicle built by Boeing, in collaboration with MSI Defense Solutions. Designed for transport inside the V-22 Osprey, the Badger is notable for its size and versatility. Unlike p ...
* Hendrick Dynamics with its Commando Jeep
The Jeep Wrangler is a series of Compact SUV, compact and Mid-size SUV, mid-size four-wheel drive off-road vehicle, off-road Sport utility vehicle, SUVs manufactured by Jeep since 1986 and is currently in its fourth generation. The Mario, Wrangle ...
.Hendrick Dynamics Participates in Ultra Light Combat Vehicle Demonstration
. HendrickDynamics.com, 15 September 2014.
* Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...
with its High Versatility Tactical Vehicle.[Gould, Joe]
US Army Officials: Field Ultralight Vehicles Quickly
DefenseNews.com, 16 January 2015.
In March 2015, the Army changed the name of the ULCV to the Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV). This created confusion, as the name is the same as the USSOCOM
The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Ar ...
Humvee-based Ground Mobility Vehicle, and its replacement, the M1288 GMV 1.1, a vehicle also based on the Flyer 72.
The Army acknowledged General Dynamics' potential advantages because of the SOCOM contract but stated it was considering all options and would not sole-source their award.
In May 2015 the Army issued a ULCV (GMV) market questionnaire. A second RfI was issued in September.
As a "new start" program in its fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget request the Army requested US$4.9 million in FY 2017 for the program. According to the latest program-related documents, the service hopes to find a vehicle that "provides enhanced tactical mobility" for an IBCT infantry squad of nine personnel and their equipment. The vehicle must be capable of moving "quickly around the battlefield, including the ability to execute medium-distance insertion operations," using UH-60 Black Hawk
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System ...
utility helicopters, according to the document.
A-GMV's concept is to provide flexibility for entry operations in permissive and non-permissive environments ‘to counter threat anti-access strategies by using multiple austere entry points via air-drop, air-land, and/or air-insertion to bring in combat configured units." The Army said it plans to develop GMV to fulfil requirements "using a commercial off-the-shelf
Commercial off-the-shelf or commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) products are packaged or canned (ready-made) hardware or software, which are adapted aftermarket to the needs of the purchasing organization, rather than the commissioning of ...
or non-developmental item
Non-developmental item (NDI) is a term used for products procured by the United States federal government which do not require further development or require only minimal modification. Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) and Government-off-the-she ...
vehicle," for which a firm fixed-priced contract is to be awarded through an open competition. FY 2017 funding could be used for a contract award for "GMV test vehicles for destructive testing" and initial production could be considered as soon as the fourth quarter of FY 2017 and full-rate production in the third quarter FY 2019.
The Army never formalized a competitive bid process, but in the interim, opted to purchase a limited number of GMVs through SOCOM's Ground Mobility Vehicle 1.1. In its 2018 budget request, the Army split the GMV into two phases. The second phase, called the Infantry Squad Vehicle
The Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) is an air-transportable high-speed, light utility vehicle selected by the United States Army in 2020 It is based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 platform. An ISV can carry nine infantrymen. Fielding begins in 2021, a ...
program, was initiated to acquire 1700 additional vehicles.
In May 2018, the Army awarded General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Un ...
(GD-OTS) a $33.8 million contract for the production of 118 A-GMVs and associated kits.[General Dynamics gets US Army order for Army Ground Mobility Vehicles production , June 2018 Global Defense Army Security industry news]
/ref> The vehicles will outfit three airborne brigades.
The A-GMV shares some 90 percent parts commonality with the GMV 1.1.[
GD-OTS delivered the first A-GMV to the US Army, marking the First Unit Equipped (FUE), delivered within four months of contract award and consisted of vehicles, spares and training. Estimated completion of the contract is March 2019.][
]
References
{{reflist
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Post–Cold War armored fighting vehicles of the United States
Military trucks
Off-road vehicles
Military light utility vehicles