U.S. Army Soldiers to Test New Light Tank Next year

Soldiers of the infantry brigade combat teams will test two prototypes in the U.S. Army light tank competition.

Two light tank prototypes developed by General Dynamics and BAE Systems will begin independent operational testing and evaluation under the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) program at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to a recent U.S. Army service announcement.

The assessment is set to begin in January 2021 and will run through June 2021.

BAE Systems' entrant in the U.S. Army's Mobile Protected Firepower competition (Photo Courtesy BAE Systems)

The prototypes will be judged by the users themselves to get soldier input.

Work is ongoing to prepare ranges and roads for the arrival of the prototypes said Maj. Gen. Brian Cummings, the Army’s program executive officer for ground combat systems.

The MPF program is the first under Army Futures Command Cross-Functional Team for Next Generation Combat Vehicle that fills a critical capability gap.

“Looking in every war movie ever watched, the infantry has been pinned down and they have a machine gun nest or another enemy vehicle that’s preventing them to get their objective,” said head of combat vehicle modernization Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman. “It takes an Audie Murphy-like character to go up and sneak around and take it out from the rear.”

This new mobile and survivable direct-fire combat vehicle will provide infantry brigade combat teams with the capability to take care of those obstacles to forward progression.

BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems were chosen in December 2018 to build 12 prototypes of the future Army MPF.

According to the Military Times,

"GDLS is building a vehicle that takes the United Kingdom’s AJAX chassis and combines it with an M1 Abrams tank turret.

BAE Systems' design is an updated M8 Buford armored gun system with new capabilities and components."

To qualify as light tanks, at least two tanks, each weighing less than 40 tons, should fit on a C-17 cargo aircraft.

While 2021 still feels far away, these suppliers can plan to provide light tank parts in the coming months as these prototypes go through the final stages of preparation for testing.

These tanks will be tested on lethality, survivability and mobility, and the U.S. Army can expect a need for extra parts as the 24 prototypes may encure damage during testing.