The US Army plans to spend $250 million to procure an additional 50 Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles (AMPVs) to replenish vehicles transferred to Ukraine.
Citing the Pentagon’s recent reconciliation spending plan submitted to Congress, Inside Defense reported that a contract could be awarded as early as March.
Manufactured by BAE Systems, the AMPV is designed to replace the legacy M113 armored personnel carrier, which has been in service since the 1960s.
At least 900 M113s have been transferred to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, according to a January 2025 US Department of Defense fact sheet on US security assistance to Ukraine.
The original plan was to procure 38 additional AMPVs with the allocated funds. However, a lower per-unit price enabled the army to increase the buy to 50 vehicles.
“BAE was able to find efficiencies and able to do it at a lower price,” Inside Defense quoted a Congressional source as saying.
AMPV Procurement Plan
The AMPV is replacing the M113 within the Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT), where it will account for roughly 30 percent of the formation’s tracked vehicle fleet alongside the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and M1 Abrams main battle tank.
The AMPV program aims to replace 2,897 M113 vehicles at the brigade and below level within ABCTs: 522 in the general purpose variant, 216 in the medical treatment variant, 790 in the medical evacuation variant, 993 in the mission command variant, and 386 in the mortar carrier variant.
Low-rate initial production began in January 2019, and the first AMPVs were delivered in March 2023. In September 2023, the US Army awarded BAE Systems a $797-million full-rate production contract for the initial order, with a potential total value of up to $1.6 billion.
An additional $754.3-million order was awarded on March 13, 2024, with deliveries expected through February 2027.
AMPV production rates were scheduled to increase to 131 vehicles per year beginning in fiscal 2024 and continue at that level through at least fiscal 2027.
Features
Designed to survive in today’s threat environment characterized by top-attack munitions, loitering drones, and massed artillery, the AMPV is equipped with a protected turret or remote weapon station mounting a 12.7mm heavy machine gun or Mk 19 40mm automatic grenade launcher to provide under-armor suppressive fire and close-range protection.
The vehicle features an all-welded aluminum armored hull with anti-explosive side and frontal coatings.
Based on the turretless chassis of the M2 Bradley, the platform measures approximately 6 meters (20 feet) in length and is powered by a 600-horsepower Cummins diesel engine.
The AMPV can exceed 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour and has an operational range of more than 360 kilometers (224 miles).
