In December 2018, the United States announced the choice of companies that will work under the MPF (Mobile Protected Firepower) program to develop a light tank. The MPF program is one of the components of the global Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) program, which is working on a new main battle tank to replace the M1 Abrams, a new infantry fighting vehicle to replace the M2 Bradley. light tank and robotic combat vehicles.
Within the framework of the MPF program, it is planned to create two combat vehicles on one unified modular platform - a light tank and an infantry fighting vehicle. This creates the possibility of production and operation in the army on a unified platform of two combat vehicles with different functional modules, ensures the interchangeability of elements of combat vehicles and simplifies the training of vehicle crews.
The following requirements of the US military for the promising MPF combat vehicle have been announced.
Firepower. Support for offensive actions of infantry brigades. The ability to hit the following set of targets: defensive structures (bunkers), targets typical for cities (including those with a damaging effect behind walls), armored combat vehicles - from light to heavily armored. The ability to conduct aimed fire in motion in any weather and time of day.
Air transportability. The ability to drop from low altitudes. Willingness to fight with the main and auxiliary weapons immediately after the landing.
Protection. Protection against small arms fire and shell fragments in the basic configuration must be provided. Possibility of quick installation of additional armor, including armoring of the bottom. Providing the possibility of acquiring armor, depending on the tasks and the situation.
Maneuverability. The ability to conduct hostilities and support offensive infantry operations in difficult terrain of various types. Ability to make small radius turns typical of city, forest, jungle and mountainous terrain. Speed sufficient to escort infantry brigade vehicles.
Reliability. Ensuring high operational readiness through a robust design, the ability to quickly replace modular components and reduced logistics requirements compared to existing armored vehicles.
Autonomy. The vehicle must have a sufficient supply of fuel and ammunition for combat operations within 24 hours from the moment it arrives at the landing zone, without replenishing ammunition and refueling.
One of the vehicle developers already has a Griffin 1 prototype of a light tank with a 120 mm cannon and a Griffin 3 BMP prototype with a 50 mm automatic cannon.
Other countries are beginning to pay attention to the development of a light tank, examples of the Turkish-Indonesian MMWT tank, the Chinese VT-5, and the Swedish CV90 can be cited.
When considering the feasibility of developing a light tank, it is necessary first of all to find out whether it has its own niche in the structure of the troops, where it can be in demand. Due to its weak security, a light tank is, in principle, unable to replace the main battle tank; it was and will remain the main striking force of the ground forces.
Armored vehicles can be used in two types of operations - in the classic large-scale operations of the Second World War and in local conflicts, often in remote areas, including when performing specific "police" functions for clearing territories.
In operations of the first type, there is no place for a light tank in the battle formations of tanks; it is an easy target for enemy anti-tank weapons. In operations of the second type, performed, as a rule, by the rapid reaction forces and airborne troops, special armored vehicles are already needed.
Due to the approach of the weight of the main battle tank to the characteristics of a heavy tank, it has a number of restrictions on operational mobility and the ability to quickly transfer to a distant theater of operations.
The light tank has its own advantages over the MBT, which are necessary when used in rapid response operations. This is the possibility of quick transfer, landing in remote territories and mobility of actions in off-road conditions and water obstacles, as well as in clashes with the enemy with an unprepared and weak anti-tank defense.
The use of light tanks in "police" operations in urban agglomerations may be ineffective due to their vulnerability to ATGMs and other close-range anti-tank weapons. With poor security, they have no chance of surviving combat in urban environments.
When assessing the need to use a light tank, it should also be borne in mind that the experience of fighting in modern conflicts has shown that the ground forces need a mobile and protected fire weapon on the battlefield, that is, a self-propelled artillery installation of direct fire support with a tank-caliber cannon to suppress fire enemy means and ensuring freedom of maneuver for motorized rifle subunits.
That is, a light tank has two tactical niches where it can be in demand - as a means of fire support for motorized rifle units in battle formations together with infantry fighting vehicles, when attacking an unprepared defensive line, working from ambushes, supporting fire in defense and in operations in remote theaters where the use of main battle tanks is impractical or impossible.
Light tanks can prove themselves well in the rapid reaction forces, airborne troops and marines as a means of breaking through enemy defense and fire support. Under these conditions, he, as a machine of the battlefield, can significantly increase the effectiveness of their actions.
All this suggests that a light tank can confidently occupy its tactical niches in the troops and be in demand. How can the Russian army respond to the US program for the development of lightly armored vehicles?
The Russian army already has a light tank in service - this is the Sprut-SDM1 in the airborne troops, which is called an ACS, although by all characteristics it is a light tank. "Sprut-SDM1" is equipped with a modernized 125-mm tank cannon and an FCS of the T-90A tank, which provides firing on the move with artillery shells and a guided missile "Reflex". Ammunition for the gun is unified with the ammunition for tank guns.
In terms of firepower, the Sprut-SDM1 is not inferior to the T-90A tank. The machine was developed for the airborne troops and specific requirements were put forward for it for airborne landing, complex hydropneumatic suspension with variable ground clearance and weight limitation to 20 tons, which led to the complication of the machine's design. The development of an ACS modification for the ground forces was never completed.
The creation of a new generation of this class of machines in Russia is carried out in several directions. A unified tracked platform "Kurganets" is being developed, on the basis of which it is planned to create BMP, BMD, armored personnel carriers and self-propelled guns (actually a light tank). It is planned to install various combat modules with an automatic 30-mm cannon and a smooth-bore 125-mm cannon on a unified platform. The weight of the machines must be within 25 tons.
A unified wheeled platform "Boomerang" is being developed, on the basis of which it is planned to create wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and self-propelled guns with equipping them with combat modules unified with the Kurganets platform with 30-mm and 125-mm cannons. A variant of a combat module with a 57-mm automatic cannon is being considered. The weight of the machines must be up to 30 tons. According to many experts, the layout of the machine is unsuccessful and requires processing in order to reduce its size.
Also, on the basis of the Armata platform, a heavy BMP T-15 is being created. Work is underway to create a promising self-propelled artillery and mortar installation "Lotos" with a 120-mm gun for the airborne troops.
The range of vehicles is quite wide, time will tell what will actually go to the troops. The feasibility of creating a heavy infantry fighting vehicle based on the Armata platform raises many questions, perhaps in the end it will result in a fire support combat vehicle for various purposes, similar to the Terminator.
Of greatest interest are the family of light armored vehicles on a tracked platform. The experience of creating "Sprut-SDM1" shows that the requirements for vehicles for the Airborne Forces and ground forces should be different. Specific requirements for airborne landing, undercarriage with variable ground clearance and weight restrictions for vehicles for ground forces should not be set. This suggests the feasibility of developing two modifications of this family of machines, for the Airborne Forces with requirements for airborne landing weighing 20-25 tons and for ground forces without these requirements weighing 25-30 tons.
The possibility of increasing the weight will provide a higher protection of vehicles by means of additional booking, installation of dynamic and active protection, as well as provide the possibility of quick installation of additional armor, depending on the tasks being performed. In this case, in order to maintain the mobility characteristics, it is necessary to provide for a power reserve for the power plant or its replacement with a more powerful one.
For the family of these vehicles, three variants of combat modules can be provided.
For BMP, BMD and armored personnel carriers - a module with an automatic 57 mm cannon and guided missile launchers, instead of the combat module imposed by the Tula Instrument Design Bureau on the BMP-3 and transferred to all subsequent lightly armored vehicles with paired 100-mm and 30-mm cannons, the main purpose of which was to ensure the firing of a 100-mm guided missile. The Sprut-SDM1 has already been provided with a 125-mm guided missile, and the need to install such a gun has long since disappeared.
For a light tank, a combat module with a 125-mm tank cannon, which provides firing both artillery shells and guided missiles, unified with tank ammunition.
In terms of firepower, a light tank should correspond to the main Armata tank with a 125-mm cannon, for which a light tank should be equipped with the main tank's control systems and an on-board information and control complex for interaction within subunits of dissimilar forces.
For a self-propelled artillery and mortar installation - a combat module with a 120-mm gun, developed within the framework of the Lotus project and providing firing artillery shells and mines.
So, in response to the US program for the development of a family of lightly armored vehicles, including a light tank, Russia has a worthy response to develop a new generation of such a family of vehicles, taking into account the experience of the Sprut-SD light tank already tested in the troops. The main thing is to bring this work to its logical conclusion and to ensure the introduction of machines into the troops.
