General Dynamics [GD] and team of Raytheon [RTN] and
Rheinmetall have both submitted bids for the Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program, the companies said Monday.
GD said it is offering a new platform designed specifically for the next-generation combat vehicle effort, while the Raytheon Rheinmetall Land Systems joint venture has proposed the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle.
“GD’s bid sample was designed to address the desired system lethality, protection and mobility as substantiation of our response to the Army’s request for proposal,” Don Kotchman, vice president and general manager for GDLS’ U.S. market, said in a statement. “The company is proposing a purpose built vehicle leveraging technologies from other platforms and years of investment in advanced capabilities to include a 50mm cannon.”
The company noted its bid sample is a new platform and not the Griffin III technology demonstrator the company initially showcased at last year’s AUSA conference in Washington, D.C.
Proposals and bid samples were due to the Army by Oct. 1, and Kotchman said the company submitted their offering on Sept. 27.
Raytheon and Rheinmetall announced a new joint venture last week for their OMFV offering, which is made up of the German manufacturer’s Lynx vehicle outfitted with the former’s weapons capabilities (Defense Daily, Sept. 27).
“U.S. Army soldiers deserve the best possible fighting vehicle when they go into battle and that’s exactly what this team is offering,” Sam Deneke, vice president of Raytheon Land Warfare Systems, said in a statement.. “Lynx provides unparalleled troop protection and features advanced technology that will keep our men and women in uniform ahead of the threat.”
The OMFV effort to find a platform to replace the Army’s Bradleys will begin with a prototype phase with plans to choose up to two vendors in March 2020 for each to deliver 14 test vehicles.
Officials on the NGCV cross-functional team have said the Army will award a production contract for its OMFV in the third quarter of FY ’23, with plans to reopen the competition following the production phase. The Army intends to field the first vehicles in 2026.
Raytheon and Rheinmetall recently announced they have added Textron Systems [TXT] to its OMFV team to handle the U.S. based manufacturing of the vehicle’s chassis (Defense Daily, Sept. 30).
BAE Systems and SAIC [SAIC] have said they will not participate in the OMFV competition after previously expressing interest in the program.