At BAE Systems, we don’t just develop and manufacture combat vehicles and weapon systems, we are a primary partner that the U.S. military, its partners and allies rely on to keep vehicles and weapon systems performing throughout their lifecycle. In the last five years alone, our team has logged over 2 million hours in field service support to maintain high operational readiness for our customers.
We know our vehicles and weapon systems better than anyone else. Over the past six decades, we have worked closely with our customers to provide combat vehicles that are at the core of the US Army’s armored brigades and the US Marine Corps’ amphibious expeditionary formations, as well as critical weapon systems for the US Navy. As the Original Equipment Manufacturer for the M88 family of vehicles, M109 Self-Propelled Howitzer, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) family of vehicles, Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) family of vehicles, the M113 family of vehicles, and the Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV), we are the leading experts at supporting combat vehicles through the entire lifecycle; from initial design to production through sustainment. We have the same expertise in our Weapon Systems business, where we provide installation, maintenance and support for multiple naval guns, vertical launch systems and canisters.
This deep experience allows us to provide superior support long after products roll off the production line. Our full-service lifecycle sustainment and logistical support ensures that the US military, allies, and partners receive the comprehensive sustainment services and training required to achieve and maintain high levels of readiness.
We are uniquely positioned to meet customer needs as a prime contractor because of our robust network of suppliers. Customers can leverage BAE Systems’ team of highly skilled technical experts with experience ranging from the field back to the production floor. Furthermore, customers have access to connect with supply chain and program management experts, receive obsolescence and modernization support, and access a deep supplier base. Read more below about the sustainment services we provide:
Weapon Systems Vehicle Overhaul Field Support International Sustainment Spares & Accessories
Weapon Systems
Anywhere in the world, anytime, our field service technicians are here to support you while you support your mission. For Mk 38, Mk 110, and Mk 45 naval guns, we provide installation, testing and follow-on maintenance. We also provide installation, testing and maintenance of the Mk 45 Automated Handling System (AHS). In addition to naval gun support, we provide global installation and check-out (INCO) support teams for the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) to various ship classes during construction, modernization and upgrades to ballistic missile defense. We also install, test and conduct follow-on maintenance for the Launch Module Enclosure (LME) and provide Mk 41 VLS integration in support of AEGIS Ashore BMD capability. Finally, to support our canister work, we provide follow-on maintenance and sustainment for VLS missile canisters produced in Aberdeen, South Dakota to support ongoing missile delivery and recertification efforts.
Vehicle Overhaul, Upgrades and Modernization
Combat and amphibious vehicles must adapt to fight and win in the consistently evolving operational environment – and we are dedicated to partnering with the customer to meet their specific needs. Since 2007, our vehicle modernization teams have achieved nearly 3 million hours of field modification across all the U.S. Army’s armored brigades, as well as pre-positioned stocks. In total, BAE Systems sustainment teams have completed nearly 100,000 modification work orders across the Bradley, M109 and M88 platforms - both in the United States and abroad, including remote and austere locations.
Upgrades to complex ground vehicles must be carefully performed to minimize impact to other vehicle components. With decades of experience, our highly skilled engineers and field service technicians work closely with the customer to design, integrate, test, and train users on the latest modifications to our platforms. Once finalized, our field service teams can execute configuration changes through modification work orders.
Whether upgrades are required in the U.S. or abroad, our responsive and adaptable field service teams are prepared to modernize fleets keep them operational for decades to come – as shown through several vehicle programs over the years.
Field Support
At BAE Systems, our dedication to the mission extends beyond the production line and into the field to the users of our platforms. With several hundred certified and dedicated field service professionals, we are committed to supporting and maintaining systems and subsystems to ensure the operational readiness of units from the moment they roll off the production line and reach the hands of the warfighter. Our field service representatives have decades of experience supporting warfighters, making them subject matter experts on the vehicles we build. Our professionals have embedded with units in the Middle East, Europe, Indo-Pacific, and other Foreign Military Sales customers – across our fleets of combat vehicles.
International Sustainment Programs
Our vehicles are in use by many militaries across the globe and we’re prepared to keep vehicles in service for decades to come. As allies and partners seek sustainment support, our BAE Systems sustainment experts are prepared to help. Our team has decades of experience meeting the unique requirements of each international customer. We have years of experience partnering with local industry in-country to establish organic lifecycle sustainment support, from field level maintenance to comprehensive vehicle overhaul or mid-life update programs. We operate where the U.S. military operates, so we’re prepared to go anywhere. In the past, we’ve supported the U.S. military in the Middle East, as well as provided support to multiple countries in Europe, South America and Indo-Pacific. We have thousands of vehicles in use by dozens of international allies and partners, and we are prepared to offer the same sustainment and modernization support to those or new partner nations to keep their militaries at the height of readiness and capability.
Spares and accessories
Operational readiness is imperative for the U.S. military, its allies and partners. That’s why BAE Systems’ spares and accessories services are focused on providing vehicle parts to the U.S. military and its allies to keep critical combat platforms in the fight. Through thousands of hours of work on the M88 family of vehicles, M109 Self-Propelled Howitzer, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, M113 family of vehicles, Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) family of vehicles, Amphibious Combat Vehicle family of vehicles, and the Amphibious Assault Vehicles, we know combat and amphibious vehicles and the parts required to keep them in service better than anyone else.
We can quickly adapt to our customer’s needs by leveraging our experienced base of suppliers, supply chain management expertise, and production-level parts orders to increase operational readiness, as well as affordability, for our customer. Like other sustainment services, our spares and accessories teams can reach back to internal program engineers to quickly address customer questions or concerns.
Our spares and accessories portfolio can support one-off parts orders, long-term contracts, as well as pre-positioned spares opportunities. Our focus is your focus: ensuring sustained and sustainable mission readiness of military vehicles.
Training
If service members need to be experts on the vehicles they use to fight, then they should be trained by the experts. With over 2.3 million hours logged in the last five years, our certified field service representatives are unmatched subject matter and technical experts on all the BAE Systems combat and amphibious vehicles found in fleets across the globe. Their goal is the same as service members: get crews to meet mission objectives.
We offer comprehensive New Equipment Training, Technical Documentation, Operator and Maintainer Field Level Training Support, and On-the-Job training in the field, in the motor pool and while deployed. Our flexible teams of trainers meet units wherever they are and can tailor training to meet specific customer needs. Our instructors undergo a rigorous certification process that ensures they are qualified to train warfighters. This process was originally developed by the US Army and has been further enhanced by BAE Systems to meet customer needs.
For more than 60 years, BAE Systems has trained the U.S. military and its allies. Our teams are dedicated to working with units regardless of location and can support training on a broad range of vehicles, weapon systems and equipment.
Inventory and Obsolescence Management
Managing parts inventory and obsolescence before it’s too late is critical to keeping vehicles in the field. At BAE Systems, we collaborate with the customer to manage their inventory of parts and track parts obsolescence to make sure combat vehicles maintain a high level of operational readiness. As an Original Equipment Manufacturer, we can leverage our production lines, robust supplier network, and supply chain experts to carefully manage inventory and help the customer ensure parts are replaced before they become obsolete.
Future Innovation
At BAE Systems, we are flexible, agile and ready for the future. When we think about sustainment and logistics in a contested environment, we know that efficiency, reliability and responsiveness are paramount for customers. That’s why as we develop innovative solutions, our focus is listening to our customer and adapting to their needs. We recognize the requirement to invest in emerging technology, such as virtual training, additive manufacturing and performance-based logistics, to ensure that warfighters have the most powerful tools in their hands. At our core, BAE Systems is dedicated to delivering the advanced sustainment technology that warfighters require to gain an advantage on the contested battlefield.