Review candidates to replace M2 Bradley armored IFV for NGCV U.S. Army.

The U.S. Army wants a new ICV infantry Combat Vehicle to accompany the M1A2 Abrams MBT into battle. The vehicle would take over the M2A3 Bradley’s role in carrying a squad of infantry across the fast-moving battlefields, along with a limited fighting capability. Three manufacturers are working on the competition for what the Army calls the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV).

 
BAE Systems CV90 Mk IV at Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris, France (Picture source Army Recognition) 

The BAE CV90 Mk.IV is the latest version of the CV90 family of vehicles. Originally designed for Sweden in the early 1990s, the CV carried eight infantrymen and was armed with a turret with 40mm gun. The CV90 is very much appreciated in the Swedish Army, as well as by the Norwegian, Swiss, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, and Estonian ones.

The new Mk.IV version is armed with a 35mm gun, two anti-tank missiles in an armored launcher attached to the turret, a commander’s independent thermal viewer, artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, and an 840hp engine (that's 240 more than the Bradley whose performances are already impressive).

Rheinmetall's KF41 Lynx unveiled at Eurosatory 2018 (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Raytheon/Rheinmetall is competing with its Lynx K41 infantry fighting vehicle, BAE Systems with its CV90 fighting vehicle, and General Dynamics with its Griffin combat vehicle. The testing phase of the prototypes by the US Army should start in 2019.

Raytheon/Rheinmetall’s KF41 Lynx IFV is a brand-new vehicle, unveiled at Eurosatory 2018, last June. It’s armed with a 30- or 35mm automatic cannon and anti-tank missiles. Its modular design is meant to support future vehicle developments. It also sports an active protection system to shoot down incoming rockets and missiles and the Coyote drone/anti-drone system. The KF41 is the roomiest of the three vehicles, as it is large enough to carry up to nine infantrymen in the back. Its 1,050hp diesel engine is also the most powerful but this power is necessary, considering the 50 tons of the vehicle.

General Dynamics Griffin III at AUSA 2018, Assiociation of United States Army defense exhibition in Washington D.C., United States (Picture source Army Recognition)

General Dynamics offers the Griffin III infantry fighting vehicle. The Griffin is a variant of the British Army’s new Ajax reconnaissance vehicle. The Griffin IFV is armed with a 50mm gun that can elevate nearly straight up (85 degrees) to engage high targets in urban environments, a major asset in current and future battle environments. The gun is coupled to a shot-spotter that will automatically point the gun to the source of incoming gunshots. The Griffin is also equipped with the stunningly efficient Iron Fist active protection system from IMI, can launch loitering munitions from the turret, and weighs approximately 40 tons. It can carry six infantrymen, the least of the three vehicles.