In the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, production of heavy armored combat vehicles like tanks and troop carriers almost became a lost art in America. Forbes reports.
The sprawling BAE Systems armored vehicles manufacturing complex at York, Pa., has won orders for a new Army troop carrier and a new Marine Corps. amphibious vehicle.
The facility also is upgrading the Army's Bradley fighting vehicle and Paladin self-propelled howitzer. The company is investing heavily in new machining systems and other capital equipment to sustain an expected surge in output. To a large degree, what BAE Systems is doing at York involves building back capacity that was lost during the Obama years.
BAE Systems has booked new business in the armored-vehicle segment of the military market as Army and Marine Corps leaders worry about their reliance on Cold War combat vehicles. An industrial-base study says that more than 80 percent of new armored-vehicle production for the two services will occur at York.