Amphibious Assault Vehicle

The Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV) Program under Program Element (PE) 0206629M is a Navy Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) initiative focused on sustaining and improving the AAV Family of Vehicles (FOV) for the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The program's primary goal is to provide life-cycle support that ensures cost-effective combat readiness, system supportability, and safety for the AAV fleet. This is achieved through ongoing engineering changes, addressing obsolescence, reducing total ownership costs, and implementing performance improvements as the fleet transitions toward replacement by the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV).

Specifically, the program supports the AAV Modifications Line, which is responsible for the design and development of engineering changes to address safety, obsolescence, and performance issues. The modifications line includes Nonrecurring Engineering (NRE) for the development of new or redesigned components and subsystems. These efforts are essential for maintaining the operational capability of the AAV fleet until the ACV is fully fielded and operational, as well as for ensuring compliance with evolving safety and technical standards.

Key objectives of the AAV Modifications Line include the procurement and integration of modernized components such as the Water Egress Capability (WEC) and Tactical Communication Modernization (TCM). The TCM initiative ensures the AAV's communications systems meet National Security Agency cryptographic modernization mandates. The program also provides quarterly software refreshes for servers and laptops in the Command-variant vehicles, supporting secure and reliable command and control functions.

The Recovery Variant of the AAV provides recovery support for the ACV until a dedicated ACV Recovery variant is fielded. This ensures that the USMC maintains robust recovery capabilities throughout the transition period, supporting operational readiness and vehicle sustainability. The program addresses emerging issues related to the design and redesign of parts and components to resolve obsolescence, supportability, and safety concerns as the AAVP7s and AAVC7s are retired by FY 2027 and the AAVR7s by FY 2029.

In addition to technical upgrades, the program includes funding for Product Development, Support, Test and Evaluation, and Management Services. Product development activities are performed through contracts focusing on system design and engineering. Support activities include in-house technical support and program management, while test and evaluation efforts encompass developmental, operational, and live-fire testing to validate the effectiveness and safety of modifications.

The program's acquisition strategy emphasizes both government and contractor life-cycle support to ensure ongoing combat readiness. Continuous subsystem reviews and the procurement of replacement systems for obsolete components are central to this approach. Engineering Change Proposals are fielded as needed to address new requirements or emerging issues, with a focus on reducing total ownership costs and improving fleet sustainability.