The largest modernization of combat equipment in the US Army

US Army M2 Bradley IFV. Photo by US Department of Defense
In the foreseeable future, the US Army plans to begin replacing its existing M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. To this end, a promising program known under the designations OMFV and XM-30 is currently underway. By now, it has managed to move to the technical design stage and is gradually moving forward. However, the first results of the current work will not be visible for several years.
New attempt
Over the past decades, the US Army has attempted several times to launch development of advanced technology to replace existing models. Some of these projects envisaged a future replacement for the Bradley IFV.
The latest attempt to solve this problem started in 2018. Then they launched the Next Generation Combat Vehicle program, later called the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle. In both cases, they were talking about a promising IFV with certain features.
In March 2019, the Army approved the OMFV requirements and issued a request for information to potential bidders. It soon received several applications from defense industry companies interested in participating in the upcoming competition.

The Griffin III combat vehicle, which made it to the final round of the OMFV program. Photo by General Dynamics Land Systems
Work on the OMFV lasted for about a year. In early 2020, the Pentagon announced that the program's organization and requirements for the new IFV did not correspond to real capabilities. In this regard, it was closed and promised to be restarted in the near future.
Project XM-30
The OMFV program was relaunched in mid-2021, with five companies from the US and other countries joining the program. They were awarded contracts and funding. The preliminary design was given 15 months to complete, with the first results expected in early 2023.
In the first half of 2023, the Pentagon planned to compare the proposed projects and select the three most successful. However, due to certain circumstances, it was decided to limit the selection to only two finalists. In June 2023, they were General Dynamics with the Griffin III project and Rheinmetall with the Lynx KF41 IFV.
At this stage, the Army has chosen a designation for the future IFV. Until the end of the current program, it will be called the XM-30, or Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle. Then, after the competition is over and the vehicle is accepted into service, the “X” will be removed from the designation.
Under the June 2023 contracts, the two companies are to complete designs that fully meet Pentagon requirements. They will also build seven prototype armored vehicles, two sets of hulls and turrets for ballistic testing, etc.

Combat module of the BMP "Griffin-3". Photo Shephardmedia.com
Rheinmetall and General Dynamics defended their projects in August 2024 and then began building the prototypes. This work will take 18-20 months. The ordered products must be handed over to the army by the beginning of the 2026 calendar year, after which their testing will begin.
It is expected that the tests will take no more than one and a half to two years. Already in 2027, the Pentagon will draw conclusions and choose the most successful IFV. Then preparations for serial production and assembly of the first batch will begin. The new model IFVs should enter service in the 2029 fiscal year.
The modern approach
The current stage of XM-30 MICV development is officially called Middle Tier Acquisition Rapid Prototyping (MTA-RP). Its goal is to create full-fledged designs and build prototypes at the fastest rate and in the shortest possible time.
In order to speed up the development of the two projects, modern solutions and technologies are used. The main innovation was the engineering platform Modular Open Systems Architected (MOSA), which is a set of technologies, software products and technical solutions suitable for creating almost any land equipment. It is noted that the promising IFV OMFV / MICV is to become the first vehicle in the US Army created using such a platform.
The use of MOSA provides several important advantages. First of all, it simplifies and speeds up the process of developing new projects. In addition, this approach is expected to significantly facilitate further refinement of the basic project or the creation of its modified versions.

KF41 Lynx IFV, German design. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The participating companies found another way to speed up the work. They submitted ready-made armored vehicles to the competition, modified to meet the requirements of the US Army. As previous stages of the program showed, this approach suited the customer quite well.
Actual questions
On January 23, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a report on the progress and prospects of the XM-30 project. It generally acknowledges the progress made, but notes various complexities and potential problems. It also raises questions about the organization of the program and other topics.
Thus, CRS recalls that in February 2024, the US Army approved a new unit development plan, which provides for some reduction in the number of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles in the troops. The service is interested in how these changes will affect the plans for the OMFV program.
CRS would like to receive information on how exactly and in what proportion the replacement of existing M2 IFVs will take place. It is also necessary to determine how many IFVs of the new model will be delivered to line units and what part of them will be designated as reserves.
It is assumed that the XM-30 product may be of interest to foreign armies. Whether the US will sell such products to friendly states is also unknown, but CRS requires that such plans be determined.

A Lynx vehicle entered in the Australian Army competition. Photo by Rheinmetall Defence
The research service raises another important question. It recalls the problems that armored vehicles have encountered in Ukraine. In the current military operations, anti-tank missiles have clearly demonstrated their potential. missile systems and UAVs for strike purposes. CRS believes that experience of this kind should also be taken into account in the prospective project. The army has already announced that various means of additional protection will be installed on the new equipment. How else the experience of recent years will be used has not yet been specified.
Visible progress
The Pentagon has already planned a replacement for the M2 Bradley IFV several times and even launched corresponding programs. However, due to various reasons, none of them reached full implementation. As a result, the army is forced to use an older IFV that no longer fully meets its requirements.
A new attempt to create the desired sample was made several years ago. The OMFV program has so far managed to successfully pass through the early stages and show certain successes. Whether the program will continue to be optimistic is still unknown. However, the current state of the work allows us to make positive predictions.
There is a possibility that this time the project of the prospective IFV will be completed with the desired result. This will be facilitated by the use of ready-made armored vehicles, a limited degree of their modification and a number of other factors. Nevertheless, the army will be able to use the results of the new program only by the end of the decade.
It should be noted that the current stage of the program is of particular importance. The participating companies have already determined the final appearance of their IFVs and their functions. Now they will have to demonstrate their ability to produce such equipment and then put it through tests. After that, it will become clear how successfully the last years have been spent and whether it will be possible to replace the old IFVs.
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