The US Department of Defense (DoD) has approved the US Army’s proposed ground combat vehicle (GCV) programme proceeding to the technology development phase.

The approval follows a recent Defense Acquisition Board review that was conducted on the army’s plan to field a $1.35bn fleet of armoured vehicles under the GCV programme.

More than 1,800 GCVs are expected to be fielded to replace the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, according to Defence News.

The proposed programme aims to deliver a vehicle that provides soldiers with protected mobility in modern combat environments.