Posted on 06/30/2022 8:51:54 AM PDT by re_tail20
For the first time since the Cold War, the U.S. Army is set to acquire and field a new light tank. The service announced today that General Dynamics Land Systems has won its Mobile Protected Firepower program competition and has been awarded a contract worth up to $1.14 billion.
The initial Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) contract award will cover an initial low-rate production order of 96 vehicles. The Army expects to take delivery of the first examples, from an initial lot of 26 MPFs, in December 2023 and have its first unit fully equipped with them by 2025. The service presently plans to buy a total of 504 new light tanks, with most of them arriving by the end of 2035. It's not immediately clear if this figure includes any of the preproduction examples that General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) already supplied for testing.
The GDLS MPF design, which is set to public receive a formal name this fall at the Association of the U.S. Army's main annual convention in Wasghtion, D.C, is based on the company's Griffin II. Its main armament is a 105mm gun – unlike the 120mm type found on the original Griffin demonstrator – mounted in a turret derived from the one on the M1 Abrams tank. It uses a version of the fire control system used in the M1A2 System Enhanced Package Version 3 (SEPv3) variant, which you can read more about here.
Griffin II was itself derived from the Austrian-Spanish ASCOD armored vehicle series, which also formed the basis of the much-troubled Ajax infantry fighting vehicle for the British Army. GDLS has also put forward another version of the Griffin, known as the Griffin III, as a contender for the Army's Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program, which is focused primarily on finding a...
(Excerpt) Read more at thedrive.com ...
I have driven the Bradley and lav, prefer the lav
Beat me to the image by a few seconds.
I was going to make a joke does it wear loafers.
But that would’ve tasteless.
Looks light as a feather.
It’s a beauty.
0h and m88’s too
But does it have cup holders?..............especially for the 64 oz size?................
Is a light tank like a heavy tank only half the calories?
It will be a target for small, cheap, smart drones.
What we need are small, cheap, light walkers who can creep up with machine guns and rocket launchers to engage the enemy.
I detect a hint of pink in the color.
should they really have that big tube thing sticking out like that? Wouldn’t that offend someone?
cup holders?
heck it barely fits in a Wendy’s drive thru
Someone needs to park an M551 Sheridan next to that.
It ain’t a light tank.
If that guy in front is the driver, he’s been to too many Wendy’s drive thrus.......................
My guess, this tank is capable of blocking off US highways without damaging the pavement. Hope I’m wrong.
Mores taste, less filling.......................
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