U.S. Future Combat Vehicle Build

World News - The U.S. military on Thursday (18/08/2011), said it had awarded contracts worth nearly $ 900 million to the British arms manufacturer BAE Systems and the U.S. company General Dynamics to develop ground combat vehicles future generations. The Pentagon said it had poured 450 million dollars to the BAE and 440 million U.S. dollars to General Dynamics to develop competitive designs, affordable, and can be operated for an Army infantry combat vehicles new (IFV) during the next two years.

Vehicles are expected to carry the nine members of the infantry was scheduled to be operated in 2018 to replace the Bradley vehicles and Strykers kind of old, the Pentagon said in a statement. Pentagon, the budget has doubled since the attacks of 11 September 2001, in the coming years to face drastic budget cuts when the U.S. seeks to control the budget deficit.

"Given the economic conditions facing the nation today, the Army realized that it is very important to continue to address needs as we build, versatile but affordable, ground combat vehicles of future generations," said Secretary of the Army John McHugh in the statement.

"This is an important milestone in our Army modernization program," said Chief of Army Staff General Martin E Dempsey. "GCV is the first combat vehicle designed from the beginning to the environment IEDs (improvised explosive devices). The vehicle will be armored and have the ability to maneuver cross country with a nine-member infantry in it.