Mobile Protected Firepower

The Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) system is a U.S. Army program to procure a light tank that is capable of providing mobile, protected, direct, offensive fire capability.[1] The program is part of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle.[2] A previous light tank development for the US Army, the M8 Armored Gun System, was canceled in 1996.

Notional Mobile Protected Firepower illustration

History
An Armored Gun System similar to the BAE model proposed for MPF, rolls off a C-130 circa December 1999

In November 2017, the Army issued Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase and, in order to maximize competition, planned to award up to two Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) contracts for the EMD phase in early 2019.[1] The expected buy was 504 MPF systems.[3]

SAIC partnered with ST Kinetics and CMI Defence to offer its Next Generation Armored Fighting Vehicle. BAE Systems offered a vehicle based on the M8 Armored Gun System. General Dynamics Land Systems offered a variant of the Griffin III.[4]

In December 2018, the Army downselected BAE and GDLS's proposals to move forward.[4] The Army awarded two Rapid Prototyping contracts for MPF. The two companies awarded contracts were General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and BAE Systems Land and Armaments.[1][5]

GDLS delivered its prototypes (based on the Griffin II) in December 2020. BAE faced production difficulties and supplier issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed delivery to March 2021. The assessment phase began in January 2021 at Fort Bragg (NC) with testing scheduled to run through June 2021. In March 2022, Janes reported that BAE was disqualified from the competition due to "noncompliance issues," leaving GDLS as the only remaining option.[6] The Army plans to select a single vendor and transition into production near the end of 2022.[1]

Competitors

The GDLS light tank incorporates components and systems from the British Ajax tank (itself based on the Austrian–Spanish ASCOD).[7] It was publicly unveiled on April 22, 2020.[8]

BAE Systems' proposal was a smaller and lighter updated version of the M8 Armored Gun System, which was canceled in 1996.[7] The US Army reportedly disqualified BAE's proposal in March 2022.[6]

Design

The Army stated in its request for proposals in 2015 that it expected MPF to operate in concert with the Army Ground Mobility Vehicle and Light Reconnaissance Vehicle. The Army said the MPF will operate in "austere and unpredictable locations."[3]

The Army opted not to add a requirement for an air-drop capability unlike the M8 Armored Gun System canceled in 1996, which had such a capability. According to an Army Futures Command official, as of 2021, one of the two competing team's bids was potentially light enough to airdrop due to its "significantly" lighter weight.[9]

See also

References
  1. "The Army's Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) System". Congressional Research Service. 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2022-01-21. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. "Next Generation Combat Vehicles: As Army Prioritizes Rapid Development, More Attention Needed to Provide Insight on Cost Estimates and Systems Engineering Risks". Government Accountability Office. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  3. McBride, Courtney (27 November 2017). "Army Ground Mobility Vehicle". Inside the Army. No. Courtney McBride. Inside Washington Publishers. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  4. Tressel, Ashley (24 December 2018). "BAE, General Dynamics move forward in MPF competition". Inside the Army. No. Vol. 30, No. 51. Inside Washington Publishers. pp. 1, 4–5. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  5. "BAE Systems awarded development contract for Mobile Protected Firepower". BAE Systems. 2018-12-17. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  6. Roque, Ashley. "US Army eliminates BAE Systems from 'light tank' competition". Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  7. Larsen, Caleb (2021-10-02). "The U.S. Army Could Soon Have A New Light Tank". 19fortyfive. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  8. "General Dynamics Land Systems Unveils New Light Tank". MilitaryLeak. 2020-04-25. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  9. Sterenfeld, Ethan (21 June 2021). "Murray: One MPF prototype potentially airdrop-capable". Inside Defense. Inside Washington Publishers. Retrieved 26 February 2022.

Official website

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