US Army continues modernization with new IFVs on the way

[Ryan Robertson]

WHEN IT COMES TO ICONIC MILITARY VEHICLES, THE U.S. ARMY CAN CLAIM IT’S FAIR SHARE. FROM THE WILLYS JEEP AND THE SHERMAN TANK TO THE HUMVEE AND EVERY ITERATION OF THE M-1 ABRAMS, EVERY KID THAT EVER WANTED TO PLAY ARMY HAD A FAVORITE. 

BUT TIME, JUST LIKE THE ARMY, MARCHES ON, AND VEHICLES THAT ONCE RULED THE BATTLEFIELDS OF AMERICAN CONFLICTS HAVE TO GIVE WAY TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF POTENTIAL ICONS. IT’S AN ISSUE ARMY LEADERSHIP HAS BEEN ADDRESSING FOR YEARS. AND WHILE THINGS DO SEEM TO MOVE SLOW, THEY ARE MOVING. 

AND THAT’S THE SUBJECT OF THIS WEEK’S DEBRIEF.

AMID ALL OF THE EYE CANDY ON DISPLAY AT THE 2024 AUSA ANNUAL  MEETING, THERE WERE A SERIES OF PANELS AND ROUNDTABLES TACKLING THE VERY SERIOUS BUSINESS OF MODERNIZING THE ARMY FOR FUTURE CONFLICTS. 

ONE OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS WAS CENTERED ON THE ARMY’S PUSH TO BRING IT’S NEXT GENERATION OF GROUND VEHICLES TO THE FIGHT. DURING A PANEL ON THAT VERY SUBJECT, TWO VEHICLES DOMINATED THE DISCUSSION. THE XM-30 AND THE M10 BOOKER.

THE XM-30 MECHANIZED INFANTRY COMBAT VEHICLE HAS LONG BEEN VIEWED AS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE 40-YEAR-OLD BRADLEY INFANTRY FIGHTING VEHICLE. ON THE DRAWING BOARD SINCE 2014, THERE WERE PROBLEMS BRINGING THE PROJECT TO FRUITION. 

POTENTIAL COMPETITORS VIEWED THE PROGRAM’S TIMELINE AND STRICT OBJECTIVES AS UNREALISTIC SINCE THE BURDEN OF DEVELOPMENT COSTS LARGELY FELL ON THEIR SHOULDERS. AS A RESULT, MANY DEFENSE CONTRACTORS EVENTUALLY OPTED OUT OF PARTICIPATION. BUT IN EARLY 2020, THE ARMY ANNOUNCED IT WOULD RELAUNCH THE PROGRAM, TAKING ON A GREATER SHARE OF THE FUNDING RESPONSIBILITIES.

ACCORDING TO COLONEL JEFF JURAND, PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE XM-30, THINGS ARE FINALLY COMING TOGETHER TO ALLOW THE PROJECT TO MOVE FORWARD. 

[Col. Jeff Jurand, XM-30 Project Manager] “The vendors are on schedule to deliver their first prototypes within 22 months, and there’s no indication that they’re going to be unable to do that. So the if I was going to shake my magic eight ball, what I would say would come up is the outlook looks good.”

[Ryan Robertson]

ONE REASON WHY THINGS SEEM TO BE BACK ON TRACK FOR THE XM-30 IS A DOD-WIDE PUSH FOR DIGITAL ENGINEERING AS A FIRST STEP IN BRINGING THE ARMY’S REQUIREMENTS TO POTENTIAL BUILDERS.

[Col. Jeff Jurand, XM-30 Project Manager]

“It’s been eye-opening. It’s a learning curve, certainly, to adapt to new methods. Our vendors have been great partners in this and have jumped into the deep end of the pool with us fully committed to it. And it truly is a partnership that we’ve that we’re experiencing with both contracts as we evolve internally and have to retrain our workforce and, as the vendors, you know, see this space as well. So it’s been, it’s been a very insightful and eye opening experience last couple years.”

[Ryan Robertson]

IN JUNE 2023, THE ARMY SELECTED AMERICAN RHEINMETALL AND GENERAL DYNAMICS LAND SYSTEMS TO ADVANCE THE PROJECT BASED ON THREE PRIMARY CRITERIA: A TRACKED VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A HYBRID-ELECTRIC DRIVE, AN UNMANNED TURRET FEATURING EITHER A 50 MM AUTOCANNON OR A 30 MM TURRET THAT CAN BE UPGRADED TO THE LARGER CALIBER, AND A REDUCED CREW OF TWO WHILE ALLOWING SPACE FOR SIX INFANTRYMEN.

WHILE THE XM-30 REMAINS IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES, THE M-10 IS ALREADY A REALITY.

THE BOOKER, AS IT’S KNOWN, IS A MODERN ARMORED VEHICLE DESIGNED FOR MOBILITY, PROTECTION, AND FIREPOWER. IT FEATURES A WHEELED CHASSIS AND ADVANCED ARMOR AGAINST SMALL ARMS FIRE AND I-E-D-S. AND EVEN THOUGH IT MAY LOOK LIKE A TANK, COLONEL KEVIN BRADLEY, DIRECTOR OF THE ARMY’S NEXT GENERATION COMBAT VEHICLES CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAM, WAS QUICK TO POINT OUT IT IS NOT. 

[Col. Kevin Bradley, Dir. of the Next-Gen Combat Vehicles Cross-Functional Team]

“It’s mobile, protected firepower. It’s designed to support squads. Primary focus is to open holes in buildings, to take out bunkers and help them to accomplish their task in both lisco and urban fight, obviously, with the 105 cannon, it does have capability to defend itself in that and can be used in that role against enemy armor, if that was something that organization was facing, but it’s Part of the formation, not designed were intended as a tank on tank unit.”

[Ryan Robertson]

BUT DON’T LET THAT DISTINCTION FOOL YOU, THE M-10 PACKS A PUNCH. EQUIPPED WITH A REMOTE WEAPON STATION, IT CAN MOUNT VARIOUS ARMAMENTS, SUPPORTING INFANTRY OPERATIONS BY TRANSPORTING TROOPS WHILE PROVIDING EFFECTIVE FIRE SUPPORT. 

THE ARMY TOOK DELIVERY OF THE FIRST M-10 A LITTLE LESS THAN A YEAR AGO, AND THIS PAST MAY THEY ISSUED A SOLICITATION FOR FULL-RATE PRODUCTION.

ALL TOLD THE ARMY IS PLANNING ON BUYING 504 M10S, ALL OF WHICH WILL BE ALLOTTED TO LIGHT DIVISIONS IN THE ACTIVE DUTY AND NATIONAL GUARD. THE 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION WILL BECOME THE FIRST UNIT EQUIPPED WHEN 33 M10S ENTER FORT LIBERTY MOTOR POOLS IN LATE FISCAL YEAR 2025