Abrams Stryker Maker Expands Innovation to Robots and AI

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization 

AI-enabled target recognition, multi-domain autonomy and information processing, software-enabled weapons upgrades, paradigm-changing command and control, breakthrough robotics and next-generation, fuel-efficient vehicle engines, batteries and propulsion systems … are all things one might not instantly associate with General Dynamics Land Systems, the classic, large defense firm known for making the Army’s Abrams tank and Stryker infantry vehicle.

General Dynamics Land Systems is working to change this perception and highlight the firm’s long standing efforts with research, engineering, paradigm-changing technologies and innovation. While of course GDLS welcomes its association with classic, combat-tested platforms such as the Abrams and Stryker, beneath the visible surface of the power and combat contribution of these vehicle, the firm has spent years working with small innovators and funding its own research into identifying and integrating new, “disruptive” paradigm-changing technologies. This has been evidenced over the years to a large extent through the firm’s well-known, massive upgrades to both the Abrams and Stryker. Modern variants of these vehicles are so thoroughly revamped and upgraded that they are almost entirely new vehicles when compared with their original state.

“The Abrams tank has been around for a long time. The Stryker has been around for half as long but still a long time. Those are the two things we’re known for most. But we’re, we’re an Air Defense System provider. Now, we’re a ground vehicle robotic provider, and we have figured out a way to use artificial intelligence and ground combat vehicles together. And those are innovations that don’t get as much connection to our company name as we would like them to get,” Keith Barclay, Director of US Strategy and Growth, General Dynamics Land Systems, told Warrior in an interview.

AbramsX & StrykerX

GDLS is making a visible effort to take this emphasis upon innovation to an entirely new level, and unveiling new, upgraded, high-tech “demonstrator” StrykerX and AbramsX platforms at the 2022 Association of the United States Army, Annual Symposium

“These are actual full up vehicles. These are not mock ups, or models, or that kind of thing. These are real vehicles.They’re all tech demonstrators, as we call them. And the intention collectively is for us to be able to show our customers, primarily the Army, but others, the latest of our technological innovation, and the innovation that we have brought on to combat vehicles from our partners across the defense industry. We’re targeting these in pursuit of what we think anyway are the Army’s modernization and battlefield strategies and requirements in the near term,” Barclay said.

Each of the “X” variants of these platforms contains unprecedented levels of high-tech innovation in the areas of propulsion, manned-unmanned teaming, targeting, command and control, sensing and weapons.

“Unlike a prototype vehicle, or a bid sample, or something that’s built for a particular competition or program of record, these are tech demonstrators, they are built for us to do just what the name says, just to demonstrate a bunch of technologies that we think are ready today are very near to being ready today,” Barclay said.