Bradley replacement won't begin until Bradleys start being lost. This doesn't happen until the end of 1996. A case can be made for ramping up production to replace M113 in National Guard divisions in 1995. A shrewd bureaucrat will point out that expanding the Bradley chassis line to meet the needs of M8 production wouldn't be in conflict with the existing procurement scheme for Bradleys while facilitating expansion of the line as a whole should the US have a sudden need for lots of replacement Bradleys. I suppose turret production could be increased at the same time, and the extra turrets could be mounted on M113 chassis and sold to China or used as VISMOD at NTC. Once the balloon goes up for the US, M8 production comes to a screeching halt, hypothetically. At this point, the need for the LAV-105 becomes acute, and its production accelerates.
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"We're not innovating. We're selectively imitating." June Bernstein, Acting President of the University of Arizona in Tucson, November 15, 1998.
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