The Army awarded BAE Systems a $754.3 million order for more Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles (AMPVs) to replace aging M113 armored personnel carriers, with an estimated delivery date of February 2027. Low-rate initial production of the AMPV began in 2019, while full-rate production started in late August 2021, two years later than planned.
The move to full-rate production came with an order of $797.7 million worth of AMPVs for delivery in early 2025, with an option for future orders that would bring the total value to $1.6 billion. The recent order exercises that option, with the Army aiming to acquire 91 AMPVs in fiscal 2024, 81 in fiscal 2025, 122 in fiscal year 2026, 122 in fiscal year 2027, and 87 in fiscal year 2029 at an average cost of $6.9 million each. The Army plans to eventually purchase 3,030 AMPVs.
Additionally, AMPVs come in different variants such as general purpose vehicles, medical support vehicles, mission command vehicles, and mortar carriers. BAE has presented the vehicle as a modular system that could also serve as a platform for short-range anti-air defense. A report from the Congressional Research Service in March 2023 stated that the Army plans to acquire 2,897 AMPVs to replace M113s in armored brigade combat teams, which are core units in the Army’s offensive forces.
The M113 was first fielded in 1960, with the Army purchasing thousands of them in various variants. The Army has sent 300 M113s to Ukraine, which will be replaced with AMPVs.
