https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated January 5, 2023
The Army’s Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) System
What Is the Mobile Protected Firepower
(MPF) System?
The Army’s MPF system is intended to address an
operational shortfall in infantry units:
Currently the Army’s Infantry Brigade Combat
Teams (IBCT) do not have a combat vehicle
assigned that is capable of providing mobile,
protected, direct, offensive fire capability.... The
MPF solution is an integration of existing mature
technologies and components that avoids
development which would lengthen the program
schedule.
Operationally, the Army wants the MPF to be able to:
Neutralize enemy prepared positions and bunkers
and defeat heavy machine guns and armored
vehicle threats during offensive operations or when
conducting defensive operations against attacking
enemies.
In terms of the Army’s overall procurement plans for MPF:
The Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) for MPF
is 504 vehicles, with 14 MPFs per IBCT. The
targeted fielding for the First Unit Equipped (FUE)
is Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
MPF Acquisition Strategy
In November 2017, the Army issued a Request for Proposal
(RFP) for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development
(EMD) phase and, in order to maximize competition,
planned to award up to two Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA)
contracts for the EMD phase in early FY2019.
Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) according to the Defense
Acquisition University is a rapid acquisition approach that
focuses on delivering capability in a period of 2 to 5 years. The
authority to use MTA was granted by Congress in Section 804
of the FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
(P.L. 114-92). Programs using MTA are not subject to the Joint
Capabilities Integration Development System (JCIDS) and
provisions of DOD Directive 5000.01 “Defense Acquisition
System.” MTA consists of utilizing two acquisition pathways:
(1) Rapid Prototyping, which is to streamline the testing and
development of prototypes, and (2) Rapid Fielding, which is to
upgrade existing systems with already proven technologies.
On December 17, 2018, the Army awarded two Section 804
Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) Rapid Prototyping
contracts for MPF. The two companies awarded contracts
were General Dynamic Land Systems (GDLS), Inc.
(Sterling Heights, MI) and BAE Systems Land and
Armaments, LP (Sterling Heights, MI). Each MTA Rapid
Prototyping contract was not to exceed $376 million. The
MTA Rapid Prototyping contracts required delivery of 12
pre-production vehicles (from each vendor) for
developmental and operational testing, and a Soldier
Vehicle Assessment (SVA).
MPF Program Status
The SVA reportedly began in January 2021 at Fort Bragg,
NC—without the BAE prototypes because of production
challenges—with testing running through June 2021. While
BAE was unable to provide prototypes at the beginning of
testing, prototypes were eventually provided to the Army
for testing. During the assessment, soldiers evaluated
GDLS and BAE MPF prototypes in a variety of operational
scenarios.
MPF Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP)
Contracted Awarded
On June 28, 2022, the Army announced the award of a
$1.14 billion contract to GDLS for the production and
fielding of up to 96 MPF systems (Figure 1). Delivery of
the first LRIP MPF system is expected in 19 months, and
Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation is planned for the
end of FY2024. The first unit equipped is scheduled for the
fourth quarter of FY2025, consisting of a battalion of 42
MPFs. Each LRIP MPF system is expected to cost about
$12.8 million. Full-Rate Production MPF systems are
expected to cost less than LRIP variants and may include
modifications based on Operational Testing and Evaluation
results.
Future MPF Fielding
The Army’s MPF acquisition objective is for 504 systems,
with Army officials reportedly noting that this number
could vary “slightly.” Under current Army plans, four MPF
battalions are to be fielded by 2030, with the bulk of the
planned acquisition scheduled to be completed by 2035.
Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) is a programmatic
decision made when manufacturing development is completed
and there is an ability to produce a small-quantity set of
articles. It also establishes an initial production base and sets
the stage for a gradual increase in the production rate to
allow for Full-Rate Production (FRP) upon completion of
Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E).
Full-Rate Production (FRP) is a decision made that allows
for government contracting for economic production
quantities following stabilization of the system design and
validation of the production process.
