Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2021 - 42

Application Briefs

for conducting ship-to-shore operations and effectively getting
Marines into the fight. The full-rate production milestone comes
shortly after the Marine Corps declared that the ACV had met the
requirements for Initial Operational Capability (IOC). The IOC
declaration is also a significant milestone for the program and a
demonstration of the Marine Corps' confidence in the vehicle.
" As the ACV enters into service it will be providing highly advanced solutions for conducting maritime-based warfare opera-

tions and will play a vital role in the Marine Corps' complex and
challenging missions, " said John Swift, the director of amphibious
programs at BAE Systems.
The ACV is a highly mobile, survivable, and adaptable platform
for conducting full spectrum ship-to-shore operations and as
such, it brings enhanced combat power to the battlefield. Developed in conjunction with teammate IVECO Defence Vehicles, the
ACV represents the optimum balance of sea and land mobility,
survivability, and future growth potential. With a force protection
capability three-times greater than the Assault Amphibious Vehicle, the ACV is designed so Marines can complete their missions
successfully. It provides substantially increased horsepower, with
its six-cylinder, 690 horsepower engine, making it capable of land
speeds exceeding 55 mph. It's also designed to provide Marines
with the flexibility to address additional mission roles and future
technologies through its modular design.
This first lot of full-rate production is planned to grow to 72 vehicles in early 2021, with the options calling for 80 vehicles annually over five years. BAE Systems is currently under a $67 million
contract modification awarded in June 2019 to develop new variants for the ACV Family of Vehicles program to enhance battlefield situational awareness and firepower. The contract calls for
the design and development of the command (ACV-C) and the 30
mm medium caliber cannon (ACV-30) variants. Design and development efforts have begun on both.
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79412-460

Targeting Pod Maintenance
Northrop Grumman
Falls Church, VA
703-280-2900
www.northropgrumman.com

t could be raining for days. A sandstorm might blacken the
sky. Or maybe there is a cold so deep that the mere mention
of the place brings the chill back into your bones. But none of
that matters. The pods must remain ready. They are LITENING
advanced targeting pods, used by aviators worldwide to carry
out targeting, surveillance, intelligence, search and rescue, and
humanitarian relief missions. And they do remain ready, more
than 95 percent of the time, thanks in part to the LITENING
field service engineering team.
" The secret to LITENING's high availability comes down to
the dedication of the entire team, but especially the field
team, and the modular design of the pod, " said Ryan Tintner,
vice president, navigation, targeting and survivability,
Northrop Grumman.
After more than 20 years of keeping pods ready, the team has
it down to a science. The process often starts with a call from a
unit to the 24-hour LITENING support line. The unit may be
readying for deployment or a major exercise and needs a pod
health check or a software upgrade. Under the firm fixed price
performance-based logistics model, the field team provides
comprehensive service and support.

More than 700 LITENING pods are in the U.S. government inventory and they have accumulated more than three million
operational hours (a million in combat), so the team has had
ample opportunity to refine its quick response preparations.
However, recent calls for on-site support present a different challenge since travel to and work inside military bases is changing.
" Travel is more complicated now and software updates and
troubleshooting need to be performed with social distancing in
mind and while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), "
said Brian Kenny, field service engineer, Northrop Grumman.

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Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2021

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