General Dynamics Land Systems New Light Tank, for US Army, Under Mobile Protected Firepower System

 

General Dynamics Land Systems will start manufacturing the U.S. Army’s Mobile Protected Firepower system, the new light tank.

The Army in June selected General Dynamics Land Systems to build a light tank meant to improve mobility, protection and direct-fire capabilities for infantry brigade combat teams.

The system features a new chassis design, while drawing from other General Dynamics Land Systems programs to reduce risk, Kevin Vernagus, company program director for the Mobile Protected Firepower system, told Defense News. The turret is also “largely new and with different materials than normal”, but “we still retain the interior look, feel and controls similar to an Abrams” main battle tank.

With the initial vehicles set to take shape on the production line this fall, the first low-rate initial production light tank will head to the service by the end of fiscal 2023, Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, the Army’s program executive officer for ground combat systems, told Defense News.

GENERAL DYNAMICS LAND SYSTEMS will initially deliver 26 vehicles, but the contract allows the Army to buy 70 more over the course of low-rate initial production for a total of $1.14 billion. At least eight of the 12 prototypes used during competitive evaluation will be retrofitted for fielding to the force.

The first unit will receive a battalion’s worth of light tank — 42 vehicles — by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. The Army plans to enter full-rate production by 2025.

 “The light tank feedback from soldiers was very positive, and none of the work that needs to be done is related to any elements or aspects of soldier acceptance,” said Brig. Gen. Geoffrey Norman, the head of the Army’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team. “They’re enthusiastic about the capability and anxious to get it as quickly as possible.”

Much of that feedback was related to maintainability, Dean said. This included using quick-release pins instead of bolts for the skirts on the vehicles so maintainers can more easily access the suspension and track to service the vehicle. The low-rate initial production design will also include stowage upgrades, he added.

The Army is working with GENERAL DYNAMICS LAND SYSTEMS to address overheating problems experienced by vehicles tested at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. “The hydraulic systems were getting hot; we think it’s an air flow problem. GENERAL DYNAMICS has already come up with a design fix for that that we have to validate,” Dean said.

The Army expects to spend about $6 billion on light tank through the procurement phase, including what it has already spent on research, development and prototyping efforts. The total life-cycle cost of the program, including sustainment, military construction and personnel, is estimated at $17 billion.

The Army plans to buy 504 light tanks, which are projected to be in the inventory for at least 30 years. The bulk of procurement should be complete by 2035, Dean has said.