From the ashes of the US Army’s canceled 70-ton ground combat vehicle, the Future Fighting Vehicle (FFV) program has begun to sprout — at least concepts for it.

The Army has awarded two contracts of more than $28 million each to BAE Systems Land and Armaments and General Dynamics Land Systems to develop design concepts for the FFV. The work is due Nov. 28, 2016.

The effort is meant to inform whether the Army will produce an entirely new vehicle or a potential replacement for the BAE-manufactured Bradley fighting vehicle, or lead to a third round of improvements for the Bradley.

The companies are to conduct trade studies, requirements analysis, and modeling and simulation, and assess technology capability and maturity to support each of three design concepts, according to an announcement Tuesday from General Dynamics.

BAE spokeswoman Megan Mitchell said the company’s analysis aims to strike the right balance between payload, protection and performance.

“As the original equipment manufacturer for the Bradley fighting vehicle, we have a unique understanding of the requirements and user needs,” Mitchell said. “Among our top considerations will be platform weight and program affordability as we balance overall performance.”

In October, Brig. Gen. David Bassett, commander PEO Ground Combat Systems, said the FFV program was largely a science-and-technology development effort, meant to help the Army explore its options while it pursues various engineering-change proposals for its existing armored vehicles.

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