AUSA 2018: General Dynamics Griffin III new concept of 50mm light tank.

American Company General Dynamics unveils new technology demonstrator of Griffin III at AUSA 2018, the Association of United States Army defense exhibition that takes place in Washington D.C, United States. The Griffin III is displayed at the booth of General Dynamics showcasing a new concept of tracked armored vehicle designed for the next generation of warfighting in complex urban and restrictive terrain.

General Dynamics Griffin III technology demonstrator of 50mm cannnon  light tank at AUSA 2018, Association of United States Army defense exhibition in Washington D.C., United States.  (Picture source Army Recognition)

The General Dynamics Griffin III light tank concept showed at AUSA 2018 is based on the hull of the Ajax tracked armored vehicle, formerly known as the Scout SV, developed by General Dynamics UK to replace the family of CVRT tracked reconnaissance vehicles in the British Army.

The Griffin III is an armored vehicle in the category of light tank fitted with a new turret armed with a 50mm automatic cannon including auto-loading system developed by the US Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center. The turret has a traverse of 360°, while the 50mm cannon has an elevation from +85° to -20°. The vehicle is able to carry a squad of 6 infantrymen.

To increase its self-protection, the Griffin III displayed at AUSA 2018, is fitted with an hexagonal camouflage called Tacticam from Armorworks designed to reduce vehicle signature in radar, infrared and visual spectrum. The turret is alos equipped with the Iron Fist APS (Active Protection System) developed and designed by IMI Systems, formerly Israel Military Industries. This APS is s designed to increase the self-defense capabilities of the entire range of armored platforms against modern battlefield threats, such as anti-tank missiles and tank rounds, including Kinetic Energy (KE) projectiles. IMI’s IRON FIST sensor suite provides the vehicle and crew with a day/night 360º situational awareness, and its APS incorporates two layers of protection: Soft-Kill, using an electro-optic directional jammer, and Hard-Kill, based on interception of the threat at a safe distance from the defended platform.

With the Griffin III, General Dynamics would like to introduce a new generation of light tank with a weight of less than 40 tons that can be easily and quickly deployed by military aircraft offering high level of protection and fire power.

The Griffin III provides Soldiers a revolutionary leap in lethality and stand-off, a modular turret that accommodates several weapon system configurations, scalable protection for Multi-Domain Operations and an integrated Active Protection System (APS). Designed with open architecture for rapid growth over time, the Griffin III also accommodates multiple crew and squad configurations.

In 2017, the US Army has launched a program to acquire a light tank under the name of Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF). A request for proposal, or RFP, for Mobile Protected Firepower, or MPF, capabilities was expected in the last quarter of fiscal year 2017, according to Defense Newsd website. To maximize competition, the US Army anticipates awarding up to two contracts for the EMD (Engineering and Manufacturing Development) phase in early Fiscal Year 2019.

The MPF capability is one of the most critical needs for the U.S. Army, particularly for its Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) who lack protected, long range, cyber resilient precision direct fire capability for early entry operations. IBCTs require this capability to be employed in austere and unpredictable locations allowing them to avoid the enemy's strengths and rapidly transition to offensive operations and exploit the initiative.