The Army’s Cell Protected Firepower automobiles are in some ways smaller, lighter variations of the service’s M1 Abrams major battle tanks, and are designed to provide gentle infantry and airborne models extra muscle in fight.
“Mild infantry, as you understand, has solely bought a lot firepower,” Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers, advised Job & Function. “So, you gotta give them one thing to have the ability to shoot, transfer, and talk and shield themselves — shield our troopers in order that they don’t get killed on a battlefield.”
Milley talked to Job & Function at Saturday’s Army-Navy soccer recreation in Philadelphia about how the Army must have a car that’s gentle sufficient to be flown into fight zones to assist infantry models.
M1 Abrams major battle tanks, which weigh 70 tons, are so heavy that they’re normally despatched to Europe, South Korea, and elsewhere by ship, and that takes about two weeks, not together with the time to get the tanks on and off ships, Milley mentioned.
“One of many issues we determined we wanted to do was to improve our armor techniques for gentle infantry and in addition for deployability, and that’s the place Cell Protected Firepower comes out,” Milley mentioned. “It’s a lightweight sufficient car, quickly deployable, it might mission energy with airborne or gentle infantry forces.”
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At 38 tons, MPF automobiles are designed to be gentle sufficient in order that two can match on an Air Drive C-17 Globemaster transport plane.
Which means two C-17 transport plane can transport a platoon of MPF automobiles to offer fast assist for Army models such because the a hundred and first Airborne Division (Air Assault), 82nd Airborne Division, tenth Mountain Division, and twenty fifth Infantry Division mentioned Milley, who added that MPF automobiles function a 105 mm major gun that has “sufficient punch” to destroy enemy armored automobiles.
It has been 25 years for the reason that Army retired its final M551 Sheridan gentle tanks, which weighed solely 17 tons, in order that they could possibly be flown in an Air Drive C-130 transport airplane or airdropped to assist airborne models. Initially, the Army tried to interchange its Sheridan tanks with the Stryker Cell Gun System, however the service deserted that program in Might 2021.
In June, the Army awarded Normal Dynamics a $1.14 billion contract to construct and area the primary 96 Cell Protected Firepower automobiles. Army models are anticipated to obtain the primary automobiles in late fiscal 2025.
MPF automobiles share many commonalities with the bigger M1 Abrams major battle tanks. Each are constructed by Normal Dynamics and are configured to have three crew members within the physique and one within the turret.
The automobiles are so comparable that Abrams tank crew members might be skilled to discover ways to function an MPF car in a short time, mentioned Army Lt. Col. Peter George, product supervisor for Cell Protected Firepower.
“One of many advantages of this platform is it’s extremely widespread with the Abrams,” mentioned George, who additionally spoke to Job & Function at Saturday’s Army-Navy Sport. “You’re taking a 19K tank crewman; you practice them on an Abrams, you get them set on an Abrams, and you then do a brief transition the place they will choose this car up, transfer into the formation, after which work that teaming with infantry troopers. “
Proper now, the Army’s plan is that troopers who function MPF automobiles will attend the U.S. Army Armor Faculty at Fort Benning Georgia to coach in the identical Navy Occupational Specialty as M1 Abrams crews, George advised Job & Function in a follow-up electronic mail.
However MPF automobiles aren’t precisely miniature variations of M1 Abrams major battle tanks, George mentioned through electronic mail. One key distinction is that MPF automobiles aren’t designed to get into battles with major battle tanks, George mentioned. The automobiles’ 105mm gun is supposed to destroy enemy bunkers and different fortifications in addition to different equally armored automobiles.
“It has a special mission profile and received’t formally be referred to as a tank in its car nomenclature,” George mentioned. “It’s an asset to help the infantry with elevated direct firepower to finish their assigned mission.”
Job & Function Deputy Editor James Clark contributed reporting for this story.
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