It's not that
The history of the development of the famous American BMP M2 is full of surprises and metamorphoses, which can be found in the well-known comedy "Pentagon Wars". Recall that work on the creation of a new BMP for the US Army began in 1964 and ended only in 1981 - the adoption of the Bradley itself.
No less amazing is the story of finding a replacement for this BMP, which, by the way, became a worthy representative of American weapons and gave US soldiers reliable protection in the conditions of modern war. Nowadays, few people remember the existence of such a program as Future Combat Systems, which involved the creation of a whole family of new equipment for the ground forces, including the Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) XM1206. It would not be a big exaggeration to say that the program ended in nothing, while, according to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), at the time of the project's freeze in 2009, it cost US taxpayers more than $ 18 billion.
In the same 2009, a new program GCV (Ground Combat Vehicle, "Ground Combat Vehicle") began, which became the de facto successor to the FCS. It is known that under the program, the US Army intended to replace the M113 armored personnel carrier by 2018, the M2 Bradley a little later, and the M1126 Stryker infantry armored personnel carrier in the medium term. You might think that the Americans took into account the negative experience, but this is not so. Already in 2014, the Ground Combat Vehicle program was closed.
Attempt number three
After the actual failures of Future Combat Systems and Ground Combat Vehicle, the United States launched the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) in 2018, now known as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV). It can be said that the Pentagon somewhat tempered its ardor by abandoning the "complete" rearmament of the ground forces. Now the Ministry of Defense wanted to get a medium tracked infantry fighting vehicle capable of operating in controlled and unmanned versions, while having the ability to interact widely with various robots. They wanted to make it in a relatively short time and put it into service in 2026.
Soon, however, the new OMFV program itself turned into a long-lasting epic full of contradictions. In early 2020, it became known that the US Army had canceled the comparative test phase of the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program. The reason was that … there was only one offer. We are talking about the Griffin III combat vehicle from General Dynamics. The Germans with their futuristic BMP KF41 Lynx were disqualified due to the fact that they untimely provided a modified sample for testing: at least that was the formal reason. And even earlier, the British from BAE Systems and the South Korean Hanwha refused the competition. They were not satisfied with either the timing or the costs.
Needless to say, many managed to call the competition biased? In this convoluted story, you can give the floor to the Americans themselves.
“The army demanded a lot of capability in a very aggressive schedule and, despite an unprecedented number of workdays and requirements building efforts over two years to help industry form a competitive proposal, it is clear that the combination of demands and schedule proved to be overwhelming for the industry's ability to meet the army's target. terms. The need (for a new BMP. - Author's note) remains obvious. OMFV is a critical area for the army, and we will move forward after the revision (programs. - Author's note) , - quotes the words of the US Deputy Secretary of the Army for Procurement Bruce Jett blog bmpd.
Simply put, "there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!" The third setback would be almost a disaster for the prestige of the US Army. A replacement for Bradley is needed, and as soon as possible.
New turn
In April 2020, history received a new development, and it turned the OMFV program upside down. The Breaking Defense website in the material "OMFV: Army Revamps Bradley Replacement For Russian Front" spoke about the new requirements that the US military imposes on a promising infantry fighting vehicle. “None of the requirements from the first request for proposals remain in effect. This is a new request for proposals, "- the edition quotes the speaking lines of the document of the US Army.
It immediately draws attention to the fact that the requirements for transportation by air have been softened. As part of a previous request, the military wanted two OMFVs to be transported on one C-17A aircraft. In other words, the infantry fighting vehicle was supposed to be comparable to the Bradley in mass, but significantly surpass its predecessor in terms of security.
Now security is in the first place in the list of requirements. The car should not be too heavy: mobility was put in second place. In addition, a promising BMP should have "moderate" dimensions and have sufficient firepower. An important aspect was the revision of the timing of the work. The start of the tender for the updated program will begin in the fall of 2021: the US military expects to select up to five proposals. Then the number of participants will be reduced to three: they will have to build prototypes of the BMP by July 2025. The winner will be chosen in 2027, in the same year they want to start pre-series production. A full-fledged serial production is expected to begin in the second half of the 2029 fiscal year.
Perhaps the Pentagon's decision was influenced by Russian developments, in particular, the promising Armata tracked platform and the T-15 infantry fighting vehicle built on its basis. Or perhaps a unified medium tracked platform and infantry fighting vehicles, known as the "Object 695". One thing's for sure: American military theorists didn't get what they originally wanted. Confirming more than once the thesis that the better (in comparison with earlier models of armored vehicles) protection with almost one hundred percent probability will entail a further increase in the mass of the combat vehicle.
On the other hand, the current situation confirms that the Americans are generally satisfied with the current armored vehicles and are ready to operate them for more than one year. At the same time, directing additional funds to the development of fundamentally new weapons, in particular, promising hypersonic missiles capable of increasing the potential of both the ground forces and the United States Air Force and Navy.
