Contract for BAE Systems for engineering development to upgrade AAV7A1 of U.S. Marine Corps 1905142.

The contract, valued at more than $12 million, was one of two awarded following a competitive bid and evaluation process. It will allow the company to develop a solution that enhances the survivability and capability of approximately 40 percent of the USMC’s fleet.

“As the designer and original manufacturer of the global AAV fleet and a provider of Marine amphibious combat vehicle solutions for more than 50 years, BAE Systems continues to be a trusted partner to the U.S. Marine Corps,” said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of Combat Vehicles at BAE Systems. “We’re confident that we can deliver a new evolution in the design of the AAV that meets the ever-evolving challenges in the battlefield environment and provides even better protection for U.S. Marines.”

Work on this design and development contract will be performed in York, Pennsylvania; Santa Clara, California; Aiken, South Carolina; and Sterling Heights, Michigan.

The USMC is expected to make a down-select decision in early 2015, choosing a single supplier to move on to the engineering and manufacturing development prototype build phase of the program.