Ground Combat Vehicle

This article is about the U.S. Army program. For the class of combat vehicles, see ground combat vehicle.

Ground Combat Vehicle
Ground Combat Vehicle logo
TypeInfantry fighting vehicle
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In serviceCanceled
Production history
DesignerIndustry and US Army (Government Furnished E/I/M and synchronization)[1]
Designed2009–2014

The Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) was a program initiated by the United States Army in 2009, with the goal of developing a next-generation armored fighting vehicle. The first variant of the GCV to be developed would be an infantry fighting vehicle to replace the M2 Bradley.

The program was intended to provide increased protection and firepower for ground troops, with a focus on improved crew survivability. The Army planned on acquiring 1,874 GCV infantry fighting vehicles to replace Bradleys in 16 active and 8 National Guard Heavy Brigade Combat Teams. In 2011, the Army selected BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems to move forward with the GCV program.

The program faced significant challenges from the start, including limited funding and concerns about the weight of the vehicle. The GCV was designed to be heavily armored and to transport a fully equipped squad of nine soldiers, something the Bradley could not do. This requirement necessitated adding significant weight to the vehicle, making it less mobile.

The Army canceled the GCV program in 2014 due to the service's budget constraints. The cancellation of the GCV program marked a setback for the U.S. Army, which had been looking to modernize its armored fighting vehicle fleet for many years. The Department of Defense had canceled the Army's previous combat vehicle program, Future Combat Systems Manned Ground Vehicles in 2009.

After the cancelation of the GCV program, the U.S. Army shifted its focus to upgrading its existing fleet of Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Canceling the GCV freed up Army development resources to proceed with the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV), the service's replacement for the M113 armored personnel carrier family. The Army has embarked on a comprehensive combat vehicle acquisition effort called Next Generation Combat Vehicle, which includes AMPV within its scope. In 2018 the Army established what came to be known as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program, the modern successor to the GCV infantry fighting vehicle effort.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference contracting.tacom.army.mil was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ McCleary, Paul. "US Army, Marines Struggle With Infantry Vehicle Replacements". Defense News. Gannett. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2024.