Marines Defend ACV Development as Program Matures - USNI News

The Marine Corps’ 20-year odyssey to replace its 1970s-era amphibious vehicle has hit more than a few roadblocks, but after months of operational testing, the service says the new Amphibious Combat Vehicle program is on its way to joining the fleet in earnest.

Despite some concerns from independent testers, Marines say the new vehicle is a significant improvement over the legacy Amphibious Assault Vehicle.

“Overall, the feedback that we got from the Marines was overwhelmingly positive. No vehicle is perfect – did not expect the vehicle to be perfect when we entered into the operational test,” Col. Kirk Mullins, the program manager for Advanced Amphibious Assault at the Program Executive Office for Land Systems, told USNI News in a recent interview.

“We think we fielded a very, very good vehicle. And we will continue to improve it over time. But I think the overall feedback that we got from the Marines that participated in [initial operational test and evaluation] … was overwhelmingly positive.”