Current plans call for eventual construction of 1,874 of the new vehicles, beginning in seven years, with the Army planning to whittle the field down to one winning design in about six years, DiMarco told reporters on a teleconference.
The new vehicle will be the centerpiece of the Army's combat vehicle modernization strategy. The revised request for proposals sets a clear affordability cost target of $9 million to $10.5 million to produce each vehicle.
The Army also set a goal for the life-cycle cost of the vehicle of $200 per operating hour, which compares to more than $100 per hour for each Bradley fighting vehicle now used, and about $300 per hour for each Abrams tank.
Really?
When the estimate starts at a top range of $10.5 million each, we can be sure that the final price will end up being well above that. And the operating cost is ridiculous.
The Army will price themselves out of a new vehicle. After the FCS fiasco was mercifully ended, this is the path to replacing Bradleys and MRAPs? Just ask the Marines how their new ultra-expensive amphibious vehicle is coming along and how many they think they'll get in the end.
