BAE’s self-funded armored vehicle passes U.S. Army field tests

BAE Systems said it has delivered two AMPV 30 prototypes armed with Kongsberg’s Medium Caliber Turret to a U.S. Army Transformation in Contact 2.0 unit, funding the six-month development effort itself with $17 million in internal research money.

The company disclosed the delivery in a Sept. 22 release, though the vehicles reached the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, in April.

The AMPV 30 pairs the Army’s existing Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle chassis with a remotely operated Kongsberg turret carrying a 30mm Mk 44 Bushmaster II cannon. The same turret is already in production for the Marine Corps’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle. BAE Systems built the two prototypes without a government contract or an Army requirement behind them, a point the Army has confirmed publicly since the vehicles first arrived at Fort Hood.

“Our mission was speed and innovation, and we delivered beyond expectations,” said Bill Sheehy, vice president of BAE Systems’ Ground Maneuver futures. “With today’s battlefield evolving faster than ever, it’s paramount that Soldiers have the capabilities they need to win the fight. Throughout this effort, our team demonstrated how we can integrate new design solutions in a time-effective and more cost-efficient manner for the Army.”

Since the April delivery, the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment has run the AMPV 30s through field evaluations, including live-fire testing, to compare the platform against what soldiers say they need on the battlefield. Beyond the cannon, the vehicles carry counter-drone detection systems, a cross-platform target handoff system that lets multiple vehicles share targeting data, and a 360-degree camera system that lets crews see their surroundings without exposing themselves outside the armor.

The AMPV’s open architecture lets BAE Systems swap in more than 30 different turret systems on the same common top plate, according to the company. These two vehicles bring the total number of turreted AMPV prototypes BAE Systems has self-funded to eight over the past two years. The Army has said it expects two more AMPV 30 prototypes in early 2027, with plans to run them through a rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.

Defense analyst Nicholas Drummond, assessing the vehicle on social media, wrote that the AMPV fitted with the latest Kongsberg MCT-30 turret and an Echodyne MESA radar amounts to “your XM30 right there,” referring to the Army’s long-running effort to find a Bradley Fighting Vehicle replacement. He called it “a nicely done evolutionary upgrade. Reduced risk, cost, and time to deliver. Big uplift in performance.” Kongsberg has separately announced integrating Echodyne’s MESA radar into its Protector remote weapon stations for counter-drone use, though BAE Systems has not confirmed that radar is fitted to these specific AMPV 30 prototypes.

The Army has not committed to buying the AMPV 30 or issued a formal requirement for it. BAE Systems and the Army have both described the current vehicles as company-funded prototypes under evaluation, not a program of record.