Smart Weapons Spread Undercuts Need For Army Combat Vehicle

Since 911, the U.S. military has invested huge amounts of money in protecting troops, buying add-on armor kits for everything from the humble Humvee to the massive M1 tank. But the spread of smart weapons to Third World forces, both rogue states and guerrillas, may be outpacing the Pentagon’s ability to counter them, warns a…

Army Ground Combat Vehicle Back On Track, Program Chief Says

FT. LAUDERDALE: The Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle is back on schedule despite a nearly nine-month delay due to an industry protest bid, according to the top officer in charge of the effort. The Army says it is in position to have a GCV platform in production within the next seven years, Project Manager Col. Andrew…

F-35 Production Move Was ‘Acquisition Malpractice’: Top DoD Buyer

WASHINGTON: Given earlier comments by the F-35 program head, today’s remarks by the acting head of Pentagon acquisition that “putting the F-35 into production years before the first test flight was acquisition malpractice,” isn’t really news so much as confirmation that senior Pentagon leaders know mistakes were made. Frank Kendall, who has been nominated to…

Levin Pledges Troth To Army’s GCV; Cut Foreign Bases First, R and D Last

Washington: While the Army may worry that its Ground Combat Vehicles may cost too much and get killed, you won’t hear any such concerns from one of Capitol Hill’s top defense lawmakers, Sen. Car Levin. In an interview clearly intended to signal to his colleagues what’s what before they return here next week, Levin said…

Army Could Kill GCV If Costs Double

Washington: The Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle is not out of the woods yet, and could still be scrapped for a more affordable option if costs get out of control, the service’s top program official said today. If program costs exceed the $10.5 million price tag per vehicle the Army is expecting for the GCV, then…

Carter Approves Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle

The Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle program may be running aground before it can even sign a development contract. And that’s a tragedy. A decade of casualties from improvised roadside bombs – simple weapons easily replicated by any future enemy – has shown that what the U.S. military needs most is the very thing the Ground…