US Army expects to announce in 2023 winners of OMFV program to replace Bradley IFVs.

The United States Army expects to announce in 2023 the selections of the winners of the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program with the goal to replace the Bradley tracked armored IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) currently in service with the Infantry Mechanized units of the U.S. Army.
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The four candidates for the U.S. OMFV program include Oshkosh Defense, BAE Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, and American Rheinmetall Vehicles.

Citing a U.S. Congress report, in June 2018, in part due to congressional concerns, the U.S. Army announced a new modernization strategy and designated the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) as the program to replace the M2 Bradley. In October 2018, Army leadership decided to re-designate the NGCV as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) and to add additional vehicle programs to what would be called the NGCV Program.

The M2 Bradley, which has been in service since 1981, is an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) used to transport infantry on the battlefield and provide fire support to dismounted troops and suppress or destroy enemy fighting vehicles. Upgraded numerous times since its introduction, the M2 Bradley is widely considered to have reached the technological limits of its capacity to accommodate new electronics, armor, and defense systems.

On March 29, 2019, the Army issued a Request for Proposal to the industry for the OMFV program. The U.S. Army characterized its requirements as “aggressive” and noted industry might not be able to meet all requirements. Major requirements included the ability to transport two OMFVs in a C-17 aircraft which will likely require the vehicle to have the ability to accommodate add-on armor; a threshold (minimum) requirement for a 30 mm cannon and a second generation forward-looking infra-red radar (FLIR); and objective (desired) requirements for a 50 mm cannon and a third generation FLIR.

By October 1, 2019, the defense industry was required to submit prototype vehicles to the U.S. Army for consideration and in the second quarter of FY2020, the Army planned to select two vendors to build 14 prototypes for further evaluation.

The competitors for the U.S. Army OMFV program include American companies Hanwha/Oshkosh Defense, BAE Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), and American Raytheon/Rheinmetall Vehicles.

BAE Systems CV90

BAE Systems had proposed its fifth-generation CV-90. The CV-90 was first fielded in Europe in the 1990s. The latest version mounted a 35 mm cannon provided by Northrop Grumman that can accommodate 50 mm munitions. The CV-90 featured the Israeli IMI Systems Iron Fist Active Protection System (APS). The CV-90 could accommodate a three-person crew and five infantry soldiers.

GDLS Griffin III

GDLS (General Dynamics Land Systems) proposed its Griffin III technology demonstrator, which used the British Ajax scout vehicle chassis. The Griffin III mounted a 50 mm cannon and could accommodate an APS and host unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Griffin III could accommodate a two-person crew and six infantry soldiers.

Raytheon/Rheinmetall Lynx

Raytheon/Rheinmetall proposed its Lynx vehicle. It could mount a 50 mm cannon and thermal sights and could accommodate both APS and UAVs. Raytheon states that the Lynx can accommodate a nine-soldier infantry squad. Rheinmetall's team also includes American companies Raytheon Technologies, Textron, and L3Harris Technologies.

Hanwha/Oshkosh Defense AS21 Redback

The Oshkosh Defense OMFV consortium consists of Pratt Miller Defense, Hanwha Defense USA, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, QinetiQ Inc., and Plasan. Each partner will contribute their best-in-class expertise in ground combat vehicles, turrets, armor, and autonomy to provide transformative solutions through Digital Engineering (DE) and Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA).

The Oshkosh Defense OMFV concept leverages the proven capability of Hanwha’s Redback chassis and Rafael’s SAMSON family of turrets. The Redback is one of two contenders for Australia’s Land 400 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), while the SAMSON family of turrets serves as the foundation for Oshkosh’s recently awarded Medium Caliber Weapon System (MCWS) contract with the U.S. Army.