The bulk of procurement should be complete by 2035, Dean has said. The Army plans to buy 504 vehicles, which are projected to be in the inventory for at least 30 years. The total life-cycle cost of the program, including sustainment, military construction and personnel, is estimated at $17 billion. The Army expects to spend about $6 billion on MPF through the procurement phase, including what it has already spent on research, development and prototyping efforts. “There’s a decision coming up for Army senior leaders whether we want to put a dedicated recovery vehicle in the formations with MPF, or whether we want to have wheeled wreckers, 10-ton wreckers and self-recovery. “But there are times operationally when you’d want to have a recovery vehicle available to pull a vehicle out of a ditch or do a number of other things,” he explained. GDLS designed the vehicles to have maintenance performed by a 10-ton or less wrecker, Norman said, and they are also intended to tow and recover each other. One of those is how to manage a vehicle that breaks down or ends up stuck in a ditch. Norman told Defense News the Army is now working to answer some operational questions that come along with a new capability. The company is improving sealing around the hatches and made improvements to armor coverage, GDLS’ Vernagus added. GD has already come up with a design fix for that that we have to validate,” Dean said. “The hydraulic systems were getting hot we think it’s an air flow problem. The Army is working with GDLS to address overheating problems experienced by vehicles tested at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. The low-rate initial production design will also include stowage upgrades, he added. This included using quick-release pins instead of bolts for the skirts on the vehicles so maintainers can more easily access the suspension and track to service the vehicle. Much of that feedback was related to maintainability, Dean said. “They’re enthusiastic about the capability and anxious to get it as quickly as possible.” Geoffrey Norman, the head of the Army’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team. “The feedback from soldiers was very positive, and none of the work that needs to be done is related to any elements or aspects of soldier acceptance,” said Brig.
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