Army cancels $45 billion Bradley replacement bidding after only one bid qualified
FeaturedWIB land January 17, 2020 Staff Writer
The M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle may live to see another day after the Army canceled a competition to replace it.
The reasons for canceling the competition, however, were not because the Bradley is particularly good enough to continue serving- instead, there was only one bid submitted that met the qualification standards.
Originally rolled out in the early 1980s after a long, expensive and troubled development history (which was adapted into an HBO comedy film, titled Pentagon Wars), the Bradley was plagued with problems that eventually led to overhauls and reforms.
Now, the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle competition designed to find a suitable replacement has since been canceled, due to lack of decent options.
“We remain committed to the OMFV program as it is our second-highest modernization priority, and the need for this ground combat vehicle capability is real,” Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology, said in the statement. “It is imperative we get it right for our soldiers.”
That said, the Bradley is now well past its prime, and the military brass are painfully aware of the fact.
“The M-2 Bradley is considered to have reached the technological limits of its capacity to accommodate new electronics, armor, and defense systems,” the Congressional Research Service said in a report last fall.
According to the Stars and Stripes, General Dynamics was the only vehicle that made the cut, with the Raytheon-Rheinmetall KF41 losing out because the company missed the shipping deadline.
“The most prudent means of ensuring long-term programmatic success is to get this multi-billion-dollar effort correct,” said Gen. John M. Murray, commander of the Army Futures Command. “We are going to take what we have learned and apply it to the OMFV program to develop our path and build a healthy level of competition back into the program.”
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