Army Technology

Daily Newsletter

08 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

Rheinmetall details final phases for XM30 Bradley replacement

Rheinmetall detail Team Lynx's XM30 contender to replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle following a $700m award for up to 11 prototypes.

After winning one of the final two contracts for the US Army XM30 Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicle programme, formerly known as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV), in June this year, Rheinmetall detailed their plans for the program's Phase 3 Detailed Design and Phase 4 Protoype Build stages on 7 August.

Team Lynx - Allison Transmission, Anduril Industries, L3Harris Technologies, Raytheon Technologies, Rheinmetall and Textron Systems - will build between seven and 11 prototypes of the XM30 for Army evaluation in a contract worth in excess of $700m.

“Team Lynx brings together some of the finest defence technology companies in the world and will deliver a truly transformational, modern Infantry Combat Vehicle that ensures our Soldiers can fight, survive, and win on future battlefields, ”said Matthew Warnick, Managing Director for American Rheinmetall Vehicles.

The XM30 is intended to replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicles and is expected to introduce a range of new capabilities to the way US military formations engage in combat going forward.

Team Lynx's XM30 design

“American Rheinmetall Vehicles has brought together remarkable companies, ideas, technologies, and approaches to deliver a truly next-generation, lethal, survivable, and enduring infantry fighting vehicle concept,” said retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Bill Mayville, a member of the ARV Board of Directors.

While Rheinmetall are the prime contractor for Team Lynx’s offering for a Bradley replacement, Textron is the US based manufacturer for the Lynx’s XM30.

L3Harris provide vehicle mission systems and cybersecurity and communications that are Ground Combat Systems Common Infrastructure (GCIA) compliant. The modular system is intended to allow the platform to be adapted as modern threats emerge.

Allison’s eGen Force Transmission has hybrid electric propulsion with an electric motor and inverter. “This enables engine-off mobility to reduce enemy detection – both acoustic and thermal – ideally increasing soldier survivability,” said Dana Pittard, Vice President of Defence Programs for Allison Transmissions.

The exterior of the XM30 features active protection armour systems designed to actively prevent certain types of anti-tank from damaging the vehicle. The system works by reactively launching a small warhead at an incoming threat and detonating it at a safe distance from the platform.

The XM30 50mm turret, that features third generation forward-looking infrared, is unmanned, with the vehicle optimised for a two-soldier crew stationed in the hull. Rather than using a port or optical lens, the crew perceive the platform’s surroundings through Anduril’s Common Tactical Picture - a monitor screen and terminal with situational awareness and command and control capabilities.

Further armament for the XM30 is to be added by Raytheon, which will equip the vehicle with a Multi-Mission Launcher, an open-systems architecture multi-role missile launching system, and the Coyote uncrewed aircraft system, a small, expandable aerial drone launched from a sonobuoy canister with the capability of operating in an autonomous swarm.

Combat UGV is expected to remain the dominant market segment followed by the logistics UGV segment

As the global appetite for unmanned systems continues to grow, the market for unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) has expanded significantly since 2015. While insufficient technological maturity had previously stymied the wider development and procurement of UGVs, continued investment within the defense industry has produced notable advancements in autonomous navigation, modularity, and endurance over the last several years. Modern UGVs are now suitable for a wider variety of defense and security applications beyond the traditionally limited scope of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), with nations including China, France, India, Russia, the UK, and the US developing logistics, ISR, and combat-capable UGV platforms. Despite the significant untapped potential of compact and miniaturized UGV platforms, defense procurement officials worldwide are increasingly expressing interest in the development of larger, heavier UGV platforms designed to support and eventually replace certain ground forces and platforms on future battlefields. Per GlobalData analysis, over the next decade, the combat UGV segment is expected to remain the dominant market segment, primarily driven by procurement programs in countries such as the US, the UAE, Russia, Turkey, Italy, and Ukraine.