New Dimensions for the Next-Generation Combat Vehicle.

• Author: Lum, Zachary
• Position: Viewpoint

What's in the realm of the possible for the Army's next-generation infantry fighting vehicle?

If one were to extrapolate promising innovations in materials, propulsion, robotics, artificial intelligence and sensors 20 years down the road, something like this could be within reach: A nimble 25-ton platform formed from exotic composites and honeycombed "foam" steel, the "Manned Fighting Vehicle" has organic ballistic and mine protection superior to the best protected 40-plus-ton infantry fighting vehicle operating today.

Using a powerful but quiet electric propulsion system, it achieves unprecedented range and stealth while generating loads of exportable power. It is neither tracked nor wheeled, but incredibly, a "reconfigurable wheel-track"--a shape-shifting best of both worlds.

As a matter of course, the vehicle integrates the latest active protection, electronic warfare, targeting and battle management systems with a high capacity plug-and-play architecture. For weapons and effectors, a modular turret system can interchange guns, missiles and directed energy systems as they become available. A 360-degree sensor array turns the closed-hatch hull into a glass cockpit from the inside; on the outside, active camouflage tiles blend the vehicle's visible and thermal signatures into the surroundings. For the most dangerous missions, it has full ghost-ride mode, with the crew dismounted and controlling it with an electronic tether.

When the next-generation combat vehicle program left the gates a couple of years ago, that was the Army's vision: 2035 was the target for fielding a new-design common platform to replace both the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the Abrams main battle tank. The plan was to bridge the gap with upgrades to the legacy platforms.

In late 2018, to the surprise of no one who has ever tracked a major service acquisition, the plan has changed. On the operational side, the intense anti-armor environment on display in Syria plus the reemergence of heavy hitting Russian forces along old Cold War frontiers have pressured the Army to get new capabilities into its armored brigades faster. On the bureaucratic side, the service has a raft of new vehicle initiatives for which the vehicle budget line--the No. 2 priority in the Army modernization plan--offers a protective mantle. The result has been a quiet reformatting of new combat vehicles into a basket of parallel procurements.

The latest entrants to the fold are the Armored Multipurpose Vehicle, an Ml 13 replacement which is on the verge of production, and Mobile Protected Firepower, a light tank for the Army's airborne...