BAE Systems delivers new AMPV prototype to US Army
Image courtesy BAE Systems
The prototype showcases a newly designed top plate system—the External Mission Equipment Package (ExMEP) -that allows for the easy installation of a variety of turrets. This vehicle prototype is also outfitted with the Patria NEMO remote-controlled 120mm turreted mortar system.
The result of a rapid collaborative technology investment effort involving the US Army, BAE Systems and KONGSBERG/Patria, the prototype demonstrates potential variant growth for the highly adaptable AMPV family of vehicles. By using a fielded and fully-qualified asset like the AMPV chassis, it gives the Army options to field combat capabilities - such as the Patria NEMO - to Soldiers who need them at a much faster pace and reduced cost.
“Handing this remarkable capability over to the Army for evaluation is an important step in creating broader multi-purpose options for Soldiers to maintain combat overmatch on the battlefield,” said Bill Sheehy, BAE Systems AMPV programme director. “The AMPV Turreted Mortar prototype was born from a capability discussion we had with the Army in 2022 - the same year ExMEP was conceptualised with industry partners and we look forward to its evaluation. The collaborative, future-driven approach to develop it will benefit the warfighter, and that is what the AMPV program is all about.”
The AMPV Turreted Mortar prototype that leverages BAE Systems’ ExMEP to rapidly integrate the NEMO 120mm mortar system is an indirect and direct fire support platform that can be used in multimission scenarios. The system enables Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact fire missions where up to five mortar rounds can hit targets simultaneously in less than four seconds while the vehicle is stationary or on the move.
The AMPV Mortar Carrier variant, which is one of the five variants currently in production with the Army, is comprised of the legacy 120mm mortar system. This new AMPV Turreted Mortar prototype offers a significant enhancement that would not only allow for increased capabilities and force protection, but also keep Soldiers completely under the armor protection provided by the vehicle.
Over the next several months, the Army will run the AMPV Turreted Mortar prototype through rigorous field evaluations to mark its capabilities against what Soldiers would require in the battlefield.
This is the second turreted AMPV prototype in the last three months that BAE Systems has showcased, the other being a Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) capability, that utilises the ExMEP top plate. As the future of battle evolves, the purpose-built framework of the AMPV platform exemplifies endless opportunities for seamless capability integration for the Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Team.
