Is the Army about to shake up its Bradley replacement, XM30? Sources see major signs.
Sources told Breaking Defense a new RFI may be a backdoor effort to speed up, or potentially revamp entirely, the Bradley replacement competition.
Sources told Breaking Defense a new RFI may be a backdoor effort to speed up, or potentially revamp entirely, the Bradley replacement competition.
“The [new] Milestone B date will allow the two competing contractors to complete a more comprehensive critical design reviews prior to the milestone decision,” an Army spokesperson said. “The program continues to meet key events to deliver on schedule.”
“We were able to find some efficiencies [in the supplemental] that allowed us to buy small quantities of Iron Fist,” Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, the service’s Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems told Breaking Defense.
Industry is excited about the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle. Congress and the Biden Administration are a harder sell.
BAE’s press release features a shadowy silhouette of a previously unseen vehicle. Could this be BAE’s proposal for the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle?
Adding robot scouts and replacing vintage vehicles – the M113, the M2 Bradley, and potentially even the M1 Abrams – will make heavy brigades much more mobile, lethal, and aware of threats, Maj. Gen. Richard Ross Coffman says.
The Army is testing the MPF light tank; evaluating concepts for the OMFV troop carrier; preparing for major tests of high-tech Robotic Combat Vehicles and workhorse Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles in 2022; and will test a full battalion of 18 ERCA howitzers in 2023.
Rather than wait for a much-delayed Air Force system, the Army's plan is to deploy Generation 1 of its new receiver this year, starting with the 2nd Calvary Regiment, the 1st Armored Division, and the 1st Infantry Division.
The Army’s already installed off-the-shelf Israeli anti-missile systems on its M1 Abrams and tried similar tech on Bradley and Stryker. But what it really wants is a standardized yet customizable Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) it can install on a wide range of vehicles.
Miniaturized missile defenses work well on heavy tanks, but efforts to fit such Active Protection Systems on light vehicles like Stryker have failed – so far. Now the Army will test two lightweight options: Rafael’s Trophy VPS and Rheinmetall’s ADS.
Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.
The Army's new priorities -- emphasizing heavy armor and robotics -- and Rheinmetall's successes overseas combine to give the KF41 Lynx a fighting chance to be the new Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle.
These companies teamed up for the Army’s first, stillborn attempt to build a new armored troop carrier in 2019. This time they’re offering “a new variant.”
Industry and Congress were deeply skeptical of the Army’s suggestion to enter a government design team in the OMFV competition. Now the Army has backed off.
COVID-19 and quality control problems at BAE’s York, Penn. plant had slowed the replacement of the Vietnam-vintage M113 armored vehicle.