The U.S. Army Releases A Brand New Vehicle For The First Time In 4 Decades
The U.S. Army’s new vehicle is a force to be reckoned with on land, but it’s not exactly the tank that some might be expecting. When it comes to hulking war machines, America’s own M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank usually comes to mind. Despite undergoing various improving iterations over the years, the Army’s main battle tank’s design remained relatively the same. In fact, it’s been more than four decades before the military even came up with any new vehicle design … until recently, that is. In June, the U.S. Army announced the latest developments of its Mobile Protected Firepower program, which will utilize a new armored vehicle with a design that’s quite groundbreaking … literally.
This lightweight armored vehicle will be designed and manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems, the same folks who came up with the original M1 Abrams tank. Like the luxurious yet monstrous Rezvani Tank X SUV, the MPF appears like a tank or at least a more modernized alternative to it. However, it’s not exactly meant to replace the military’s Main Battle Tank. If that’s the case, then what exactly is the U.S. Army’s new vehicle for? Well, according to the Army, it has a lot to do with adaptability, efficiency, and most of all, strategy.
What is a Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle?
The Abrams tank’s specs sheet shows a 70-ton behemoth equipped with a 1,500-horsepower turbine engine and 120mm cannon. While they’re extremely durable, they’re also heavy and slow to deploy. MPFs, on the other hand, are supposed to be lighter 30-ton vehicles equipped with smaller 105mm cannons (via U.S. Army). MPFs will be serving as support for Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) — the military’s light ground units. These vehicles are meant to supplant the Marine Corps’ eight-wheeled light armored vehicle — the LAV25 — albeit using tank-like tracks instead of tires, with GD giving them modern diesel engines and enhanced thermal viewers.
Sure, it might not fend off full-sized tanks, but that’s not what MPFs are about. The proposal emphasizes that the key here is being light, as MPFs are supposed to have the armaments of a tank yet still be compact enough to be airlifted onto the battlefield and maneuvered in tight environments.
