BAE Systems Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV)

History

The BAE Systems Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) is a tracked armored vehicle family developed for the U.S. Army to replace the M113 family in Armored Brigade Combat Teams. The AMPV is derived from the Bradley Fighting Vehicle platform and uses a common chassis adapted for several support roles.

The program covers five principal configurations: General Purpose, Medical Evacuation, Medical Treatment, Mission Command, and Mortar Carrier. The common platform is intended to provide greater mobility, protection, internal volume, electrical power, and growth capacity than the M113 vehicles it replaces.

BAE Systems received the engineering and manufacturing development contract in December 2014. The first AMPV prototype rolled off the production line at York, Pennsylvania, on December 16, 2016, establishing the first completed physical example of the vehicle family.

Development and production

The Army's development program called for 29 engineering and manufacturing development vehicles covering all five variants. The program then moved toward low-rate initial production, with an initial plan for 289 production vehicles. In February 2019, BAE Systems received contract modifications worth up to $575 million for low-rate production, including a $400.9 million modification for 160 vehicles.

The first low-rate initial production vehicle was delivered in August 2020. AMPV vehicles subsequently underwent Army testing, including trials at Yuma Proving Ground in 2021. In January 2022, the first batch was delivered to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, for initial operational testing.

In June 2022, the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment received its first AMPVs. On March 13, 2023, the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division received AMPV vehicles as the Army continued fielding the new family.

In September 2023, BAE Systems received a $797 million contract associated with the transition to full-rate production. The contract included options that could increase its potential value to $1.6 billion. The Army also announced plans in 2023 to acquire about 3,000 AMPVs over approximately two decades.

In September 2026, an additional $818,355,026 contract modification increased the cumulative face value of contract W56HZV-23-C-0024 to $3,298,715,424. The work is scheduled for completion on May 31, 2030. The modification did not disclose the number of vehicles or the distribution among variants.

Design

The AMPV is based on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle platform but is configured without the Bradley's infantry fighting vehicle turret. The driver is positioned at the front left, with the engine compartment to the right. The rear hull is raised to provide additional internal volume for personnel, command equipment, medical facilities, ammunition, or other mission systems depending on the variant.

Personnel enter and leave through a large hydraulically operated rear ramp. The hull uses welded aluminum armor with additional spaced armor, while explosive reactive armor can be fitted to the front and sides. The common platform is intended to allow the five mission variants to share major automotive and support components.

Mobility

The AMPV is powered by a 600 hp Cummins diesel engine. Its tracked suspension uses six dual rubber-tired road wheels on each side, with the drive sprocket at the front and the idler at the rear. Torsion bars provide the primary suspension, supplemented by hydraulic shock absorbers at selected road-wheel stations.

Mission systems

Equipment varies by configuration. Systems identified for the General Purpose variant include tactical radios, the VIC-3 vehicle intercom, Driver's Vision Enhancer, electronic countermeasure equipment, and the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below and Blue Force Tracker system. Vehicle software supports functions including vehicle management, driver instrumentation, navigation, diagnostics, power management, and interfaces with communications and other electronic subsystems.

BAE Systems has also demonstrated an External Mission Equipment Package, or ExMEP, as a common top-plate interface for experimental mission configurations. Demonstrations have included a counter-unmanned-aircraft configuration, an unmanned 120 mm turreted mortar system, and a prototype carrying an Elbit America UT30 30 mm unmanned turret. These demonstrations are capability prototypes and are not standard U.S. Army AMPV configurations.

Operational history

Initial Army operational testing began after the first batch reached the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, in January 2022. Additional vehicles entered unit service during 2022 and 2023 as the Army progressed from low-rate production toward full-rate production.

The AMPV is replacing M113-family vehicles in support roles within U.S. Army armored formations. Its five specialized versions cover personnel and cargo transport, battlefield medical evacuation and treatment, command and control, and 120 mm mortar support.

Variants

• M1283 General Purpose Vehicle: General transport configuration with two crew and seating for six passengers. It can be reconfigured to carry a litter and can mount a crew-served weapon.
• M1284 Medical Evacuation Vehicle: Battlefield ambulance configuration with three crew. It can carry six ambulatory patients, four litter patients, or a mixed load of three ambulatory and two litter patients.
• M1285 Medical Treatment Vehicle: Mobile treatment configuration with four crew, space for one litter patient, and a patient treatment table.
• M1286 Mission Command Vehicle: Command-and-control configuration with a driver, commander, and two workstation operators. It provides space and electrical capacity for tactical command-post equipment.
• M1287 Mortar Carrier Vehicle: Fire-support configuration with two vehicle crew and two mortar crew. It carries a mounted 120 mm mortar and 69 rounds of 120 mm ammunition and includes the M95 Mortar Fire Control System.

Operators

• United States: The U.S. Army is the confirmed operator and is fielding the AMPV family as a replacement for M113-series vehicles in Armored Brigade Combat Teams.

Specifications (M1283 General Purpose Vehicle)

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Passengers: 6
• Weight: approximately 34,000-36,000 kg
• Length: 6.4 m
• Width: 3.2 m
• Height: 2.2 m
• Powerplant: Cummins diesel engine
• Engine output: 600 hp
• Suspension: torsion bar with six dual road wheels per side and hydraulic shock absorbers at selected stations

Protection

• Hull: welded aluminum armor with additional spaced armor
• Additional protection: explosive reactive armor can be fitted to the front and sides

Armament

• General Purpose configuration: can mount a crew-served weapon; documented configurations include a 12.7 mm M2 heavy machine gun in a protected open-top weapon position