Future Combat Systems (FCS), the Army’s flagship transformation program, will provide the tactical formations required to fulfill the Army’s vision for an Objective Force. The Army and its Lead System Integrator (LSI) team, Boeing and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), in May 2003 began the System Development and Demonstration phase of the FCS program. FCS is a joint, networked "system of systems" that includes 18 different platforms, including unmanned sensors and aerial vehicles, and both manned and unmanned ground vehicles, all connected via an advanced communications network.

The LSI, working in partnership with the Army, has total systems integration responsibility for the FCS program. They are responsible for the identification, selection and procurement of major systems and subsystems.

General Dynamics Land Systems and BAE Systems were selected by the LSI, to form an integrated design team for the manned ground vehicle portion of the FCS program. The formation of the integrated design team will reduce risk, and support the Army’s aggressive timeline through the design effort.

The integrated design team of General Dynamics and BAE Systems has responsibility for manned ground vehicles during the Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase, and in the Low Rate Initial Production phase. General Dynamics is leading the Manned Ground Vehicle (MGV) Common design development with BAE Systems, LSI and U.S. government participation. General Dynamics also has leadership of the Mounted Combat System (MCS), the Reconnaissance & Surveillance Vehicle (RSV), and the Command and Control Vehicle (C2V) designs. Our teammate, BAE Systems, has leadership responsibility for the Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV), the FCS Recovery & Maintenance Vehicle (FRMV), the Medical Vehicle (MV), the Non-Line-of-Sight-Cannon (NLOS-C), and the Non-Line-of-Sight-Mortar (NLOS-M) designs.

The integrated design team is chartered to create opportunities for the best of industry to participate in the Future Combat Systems’ manned ground vehicle program through competition at the subsystem and component level. It will leverage the government technology base to develop FCS manned vehicle systems with a high degree of commonality and modularity. An open architecture approach for the FCS vehicle systems will facilitate technology insertion and spiral development.

During the Systems Design and Development phase, the U.S. Army Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems will take responsibility for systems integration, production, fielding and sustainment. The Army plans for FCS first unit equipped in 2012 and initial operational capability in 2014.