US Marine Corps To Test ST Kinetics, SAIC TERREX 2 Amphibious Combat Vehicle Next Year

Following the US Government Accountability Office (GAO)'s decision to deny the protest of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle Phase 1, Increment 1 (ACV 1.1) programme, ST Kinetics, together with its teammate, Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), now moves into the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) phase of the ACV 1.1. 

During the EMD phase, SAIC and ST Kinetics will provide the US Marine Corps with 13 TERREX 2 prototypes that will be tested next year. 

The prime contract, awarded by the US Marine Corps to SAIC is worth US$121.5 million. This decision to award came after SAIC received the 100-day "stop work" order from the US Marine Corps as the GAO looked into the protest made by one of the competitors, as allowed for in the US tender process, the company said in a statement Thursday.

“The selection of the TERREX 2 is a testament to the proven strengths of the TERREX family as a lethal and highly survivable 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle platform,” said Ravinder Singh, President of ST Kinetics. “What we have now achieved in TERREX 2 is a testimony to the maturity of our defence engineering expertise, allowing us to compete against established global defence companies.”

TERREX 2 is an 8x8 wheeled armoured ACV with improved mobility that can transport a combat load of up to 11 embarked Marines, and three crew members, through hostile territory. On land, TERREX 2’s independent suspension system improves ground mobility and ride quality for the US Marines. In water, TERREX 2’s hydraulically driven propulsion systems with full independent thrust control authority allows safe operation at Sea-State 3 and through six-foot plunging surf.