Advanced, Accelerated, and Cost Optimized Weight Reduction of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) program demands innovative lightweighting solutions to enhance mobility, buoyancy, fuel efficiency, and survivability without compromising structural integrity or ballistic performance. The ACV’s dual-role capability, operating both on land and in open water, presents unique weight and performance challenges, requiring a systems-level approach to optimize mass reduction while maintaining or exceeding current mission requirements. Dynovas proposes a targeted lightweighting strategy to achieve a minimum 2,000-pound weight reduction per ACV through advanced materials, hybrid composites, topology optimization, and optimized ballistic armor materials. Our approach will balance cost and integration of performance marine-grade materials, novel part/assembly redesigns, and next-generation hybrid armor solutions. Computational modeling and finite element analysis (FEA) will be used to refine component redesigns that reduce weight while preserving structural integrity enabling retrofit opportunities and future vehicle integration, and leverage Dynovas' team heritage, expertise, and manufacturing capabilties demonstrated through prior lightweighting efforts. The Phase I effort will focus on trade studies, computational design and analysis, and manufacturability assessments, evaluating cost-effective solutions applicable to large, medium, and small vehicle components. Key areas of exploration include: Structural Material Substitution: Investigating advanced composite-metal hybrid designs for hull, armor, and structural components.Topology Optimization: Using computational design to create load-bearing structures with minimal material usage.Buoyancy-Compensated Armor Systems: Developing low-weight, high-protection ballistic armor that enhances buoyancy while meeting required ballistic protection levels.Advanced and Additive Manufacturing: Assessing traditional and large-format AM techniques, advanced composite production methods, and low-cost design for manufacturability  methods for hardware production meeting form, fit, and function requirements.Dynovas is uniquely positioned to execute this effort, leveraging existing expertise in composite armor, lightweight structures, advanced manufacturing techniques, additive manufacturing, and computational modeling. Aligned partnerships will enable high-value risk reduction in the Phase I and set the stage for prototype production in Phase II addressing armor, structural, and operational hardware. At the completion of Phase I, the resulting hardware will achieve TRL 3+/MRL 3+ validated through computational design and analysis assessment.  Phase II preliminary plans are aligned to advance TRL/MRL through prototype fabrication and full-scale testing, validating ballistic performance, and mission capability in operationally relevant environments with Dynovas supporting Engineering Change Proposals for successful hardware beyond Phase II.