News

2017-04-02

Mobile Protected Firepower

The US Army's Achilles' Heel

The U.S. Army has identified a critical shortfall in its Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s ability to rapidly deploy substantial firepower in restrictive areas such as cities, mountains, deserts and jungle.

It needs to maintain a material and technological edge over its “Near-Peer” challengers, Russia and China. Both these nations have developed impressive and capable armoured vehicles. The battlefield accomplishments of the Russian T-90 MBT and TOS-1 Self-Propelled Rocket Artillery have been demonstrated in Syria, with the T-90 being the only advanced tank in theater proven to survive ATGM attacks on more than one occasion.

MPF to Fill Capability Gap

The Army’s infantry needs a robust, mobile protected firepower capability that exceeds that of potential enemies’ bunkers and fighting vehicles. The Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) vehicle has been conceived as an innovation that will fill this vital capability gap in U.S. Light Infantry, Airborne, and Air Assault formations.

The MPF programme is one of the few new ground combat vehicle acquisitions currently pursued by the US Army. It is designed to bring a light, but powerful, vehicle that can be airlifted into combat to boost the mobility and lethality of infantry brigade combat teams during high-end fights – a capability the Army has been short on for decades.

Army officials have laid out preliminary requirements for the MPF design to ensure it is a light, nimble vehicle. It needs to accompany infantry troops where much larger main battle tanks are unable to effectively operate – such as narrow streets, thick jungle and mountainous terrain. These new vehicles must be able to carry enough armour to fend off medium calibre fire, IEDs, and heavier anti-armour weapons.

Most importantly, the MPF must pack enough firepower to take out anything from a concrete bunker to a heavy tank.

Protection, Lethality and Mobility

“When you’re in close contact with the enemy in restrictive and urban terrain you better have mobile protective firepower,” LTG H.R. McMaster, Director of Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC), said. “We need to have a vehicle that can have the adequate protection, lethality and mobility to ensure freedom of movement and action for infantry in close contact with the enemy.”

The new vehicle, scheduled to enter into full-scale engineering and manufacturing development in 2019, with fielding tentatively scheduled for around 2022 would be similar to the M551 Sheridan light tank. The Sheridan used to be operated by the Army’s airborne units unit until 1996, but was retired without replacement.

While resources available are unknown, the service is focused on keeping cost and schedule under control using the Marine Corps’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme as a model. The key is to have at least two competing designs. Ideally, the Army would benefit from having multiple contractors competing for the programme.

Wide Range of Possibilities

While the prospective contractors are pitching light tank designs, the Army is reportedly open to a wide range of possibilities for the MPF, and is willing to make trade-offs. For example, its requirement for the MPF’s maximum weight is to be no more than 32 tonnes. However, if the vehicle is intended to be to be airdropped, that would be far too heavy.

The Army apparently requires a system for the infantry brigade combat team that offers mobility, protection and firepower.

The MPF will have to travel with the infantry over “austere” environments, which mandates a machine smaller than the Abrams because the terrain marshes, urban alleys and the like - can’t support heavier armour. Nonetheless, the Army wants a tracked vehicle, because those are most effective at crossing demolished buildings, burned out cars and other similar obstacles.

While the MPF will not be a large vehicle, it will pack a punch. It will be armed with a cannon, either a 105mm or 120mm gun. The Army wants to use a shell that it already has in its inventory for the sake of logistics.

Xm8 Armoured Gun System

BAE Systems is offering the XM8 Armoured Gun System, originally developed in the 1990s to replace the Sheridan before it was cancelled.

The XM8 weights roughly 25 tons with its Level III armour package.

XM8 offers greater firepower. The new light tank also features an autoloader and was certified for low velocity air drops from a C-130 aircraft. The vehicle can be equipped with several levels of modular armour and a variant with 120mm gun exists as well.

In armoured warfare, XM8 will be the new tier 8 light tank in light tank branch.

Currently, this weapon system is being offered by BAE Systems for export customers.

Griffin

General Dynamics Land Systems has built a prototype technology demonstrator developed from an understanding of the Army’s requirements, and based on technology from the Abrams main battle tank, the now-defunct Future Combat Systems, and the British AJAX combat vehicle.

Named Griffin, the new technology demonstrator weighs less than 30 tonnes and has the ability to mount scalable protection and active protection systems. In a 28-ton package — less than half the weight of the M1 Abrams tank —Griffin combines the electronics of the latest model M1 and the lightweight 120 mm cannon developed for the cancelled Future Combat Systems.

The vehicle mounts the XM-360 light weight 120mm rifled tank gun in a fully enclosed turret on the chassis of the Ajax. The XM-360 gun was originally designed during the height of the FCS programme. It is about 800 pounds lighter than the gun mounted on the M1 Abrams tank, is fitted with a muzzle break to reduce recoil, and is equipped with an autoloader, reducing crew by one.

Ricardo MPF vehicle

An advanced lightweight, highly mobile, protected firepower infantry vehicle developed by Ricardo Defense Systems has shown significant promise in US Army simulations.

The US Army’s Tank Automotive Research and Development Command (TARDEC) awarded a contract to Ricardo Defense Systems to develop one of three competing designs for this future fighting vehicle. After just 90 days development, US Army soldiers at TARDEC’s Soldier Innovation Workshops ran simulation exercises to evaluate the MPF vehicles in a range of scenarios.

The Ricardo MPF concept vehicle is small and light enough to provide excellent air mobility; a single vehicle can be slung beneath a CH-47 helicopter, while two can be carried in the hold of a C-130. Simulation test results were very positive, with soldiers commenting on the vehicle’s impressive mobility in a range of very challenging scenarios.

“Ricardo was selected as lead contractor for one of the three competing Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) vehicle designs, due to our extensive experience in the successful design, engineering and development of both commercial and military vehicle platforms.

“Simulation-based scenario testing results were extremely encouraging, and it was fantastic to receive such positive feedback from the soldiers who tested the concept at Fort Bragg,” said Ricardo Defense Systems president, Chet Gryczan.

The US Army intends to buy three battalion's worth of Mobile Protected Firepower vehicles for active service. With each battalion likely to require 40 vehicles, total initial production requirement is expected to be for a fleet of 120 vehicles.

Scalable Armour Protection

With light weight an essential part of army requirements for MPF, the DRS/Leonardo offering has a turret frame made of lightweight ballistic aluminium alloy. The light frame is designed to allow multiple and scalable armour protection options to be hung on the turret to reach the desired protection level users require, according to the team.

The Army’s goal for this vehicle is to provide infantry the ability to quickly defeat local fortifications, point defences, and blocking positions with a lightweight, powerful platform. Without it, infantry troops will continue to depend on reinforcement from non-organic, heavier armoured vehicles with limited operating capability in close combat against capable enemies.

“It’s going to be lighter, more strategically mobile, and more tactically mobile than the Abrams — with similar firepower and protection that is suitable to the formation it is supporting.”, Col. Willie Nuckols, MCOE Director of Mounted (i.e. vehicle) Requirements.

Although still in the early stages of prototype development, the US Army hopes to field an MPF vehicle by the mid-2020s.

Text / Photo: www.southfront.org,www.drs.com,www.gdls.com,www.baesystems.com,www.leonardo.com

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