Army Says New Mobile Protected Firepower Vehicle is NOT a “Light Tank”

Video Above: What comes after the Abrams? Assistant Secretary of Army Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Talks Future of Tanks

It may look like a “light tank” with a cannon, turret and similar looking armor configuration…people may call it the “light tank” as it is thought of as an expeditionary, deployable lighter weight armored vehicle to support advancing infantry in combat.

Mobile Protected Firepower Vehicle 

While more than 30-tons lighter than an Abrams tank, the Army’s new Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle does visually “resemble” what could be called a “Light Tank.”

However, the US Army does not like to call its new Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle a “light tank,” for a number of key reasons as it is built to meet an entirely different set of requirements.

An Abrams is a massive combat platform capable to supporting advancing armored units, breaking through an enemy perimeter to close with an enemy and unleash devastating firepower in mechanized warfare. It is a combat tested and highly cherished platform which continues to be upgraded for future decades. One senior Army weapons developer talked about the lasting importance of having heavy armor available to the Army for war, saying “We may keep the Abrams forever.”

The new MPF, recently awarded to General Dynamics Land Systems in a production contract, not only fires a smaller 105mm cannon, is more than 30-tons lighter than an Abrams tank, much much faster than an Abrams and, perhaps most of all, air deployable aboard a C-17. Not only that, its basic concept of operation is also entirely different than an Abrams; the purpose of the MPF is to give advancing infantry armored fire support as they advance quickly in dismounted formations across bridges, enter urban areas and pass through uneven terrain while attacking an enemy. This kind of lighter weight, faster and more deployable armored support introduces tactical possibilities not previously available to ground war commanders, as Abrams tanks are much slower, less mobile and harder to deploy.

Senior Army Acquisition Executive Douglas Bush said the Army is preparing to launch is first MPF unit equipped by 2025 as the first low-rate-initial production vehicles are slated to arrive in 19-months.