The Army needs something. The M1-Ax is now over 70 tons. Too big and too heavy for far to many potential battlefields.
The Strykers are...not something I would ever ride in.
A lightweight tank - a “Sheridan V2.0” if you would, would give planners at least some tracked armor light enough for limited MOUT operations.
Speed will need to be a major requirement. I see diesel vice turbine solely for the fuel savings.
Will it ever be built or will the Bradly just get “promoted” to the job with a upgunned and larger turret?
Background material:
http://below-the-turret-ring.blogspot.com/2016/04/bigger-guns-are-not-always-better.html
http://www.pmulcahy.com/best_stuff_that_never_was/best_apcs_that_never_were.htm (Note the Polish track with a 60mm gun)
And why not a 90mm on the Bradly - no troops, just more ammo....they’ve tried it on the Stryker, why not the M2?
I say mount the Rheinmetall L55 that the Leopard 2A6 has... It would have better range and MV.
Abrams variants will still be in service long after 2030. It’s an apex design at this point.
Probably a modular system like the latest Merkava.
More spending. The only way tanks will be used is against an inferior opponent, such as Iraq, and what is in use now is pretty efficient. If there is a real war against a major power, it won’t involve tank battles. The military is always preparing for WWII.