KVH delivers TACNAV systems for US Army’s new AMPV Fleet

The KVH TACNAV II.

KVH Industries has begun shipping the first order of tactical navigation systems to BAE Systems for a prototype program designed to produce a new fleet of U.S. Army Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles (AMPVs).

KVH’s TACNAV systems are designed to provide the vehicles with such critical elements as continuous heading and pointing data output and extremely accurate navigation regardless of GPS availability.

Deliveries of the tactical navigation systems are part of a recent purchase order that covers the life of the program, which is expected to run through 2020. The initial order of 34 TACNAV II systems is supporting prototype vehicles, and there is potential for an option for additional systems to support the low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the vehicles.

According to BAE Systems, the $1.2 billion AMPV program is designed to replace the U.S. Army’s Vietnam-era M113s and provide a significant upgrade that increases the service’s survivability, force protection, and mobility while providing for future growth potential.

M113 Armored personnel carrier n Vietnam, 1966. (Photo: U.S. Army)

“KVH is pleased to have been selected by BAE Systems for this important U.S. Army armored vehicle program,” says Dan Conway, executive vice president of KVH’s guidance and stabilization group. “KVH’s tactical navigation solution serves as a crucial resource for navigation and battle management, keeping soldiers safe and out of harm’s way wherever they travel.”

KVH TACNAV is a proven solution that has been serving soldiers for years in numerous armored vehicle programs, with more than 19,000 units fielded worldwide.

KVH’s TACNAV military vehicle navigation systems provide unjammable precision navigation, heading, and pointing data for vehicle drivers, crews, and commanders. KVH’s proprietary fiber optic gyro (FOG) technology is a differentiating factor in enabling the TACNAV systems to provide extremely accurate heading and pointing data, which is crucial for situational awareness.

The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) is the U.S. Army’s program to replace the Vietnam-era M113 Family of Vehicles. (Photo: BAE Systems)

The systems feature a compact design and flexible architecture ideal for today’s digital military. In addition, TACNAV is designed to integrate easily with Battle Management Systems (BMS), providing a vital component for effective battlefield management.

TACNAV systems are in use by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, as well as many allied customers including Canada, Sweden, Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Egypt, Botswana, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Romania, Poland, Turkey, Malaysia, Switzerland, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil and Italy.