WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army is pursuing a new armored combat vehicle able to launch attack drones, carry longer-range, tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missiles, fire a 50-mm cannon, and operate “optionally-manned” technology, according to initial requirements outlined by service weapons developers.
The effort is currently on the fast track; many industry teams are already offering vehicles, and the timeline has been accelerated by nearly a decade. The Army plans to have a combat-ready operational vehicle by 2026.
Three of the major teams competing to build the vehicle include General Dynamics Land Systems, BAE Systems, and a U.S.-German team of Raytheon and Rheinmetall Defence NGCV called the Lynx. The Lynx represents an effort to combine German combat-vehicle engineering and expertise with Raytheon’s weaponry, sensors, and embedded computing technology.