The Army wants a replacement for the long-gone M-551 Sheridan light tank for the 82nd Airborne Division:
Army paratroopers gave up their tanks in 1997. Now they want them back.
“The infantry needs more protection and more firepower,” says Col. Ed House, Army Training and Doctrine Command manager for the infantry brigade combat team.
Even in these times of deep budget cuts and a projected steep decline in purchases of military hardware, senior Army officials believe that a light tank is a high priority that should be funded. In a future war, they contend, Army airborne forces would parachute into a warzone equipped with only light weapons and might have to confront more heavily armed enemies.
Army leaders understand that, after 12 years of war, the infantry brigades have a “capability gap,” House says in an interview from Fort Benning, Ga. “The forcible entry forces we put in harm’s way lack sufficient protected firepower platform.”
The current plan is to provide the XVIII Airborne Corps — a fast-to-the-scene 911 force — a flotilla of light tanks that can be flown by C-130 cargo planes and parachuted into the warzone.
Once our light (infantry or airborne) divisions are fighting in a theater, we can attach heavy teams or task forces of mixed Abrams tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
The same applies to our Stryker brigades that have light armored vehicles only. Designed to be air transportable, these brigades in theory could use a light tank, too. Unfortunately, I think the numbers indicate that to move a Stryker brigade by air to South Korea would take as long as moving the brigade by sea. We just don't have an excess of airlift to utilize the theoretical capabilities.
So attaching a tank company to a Stryker unit would be fine in many cases--better even since these are more survivable than light tanks. Although I can see the need for a wheeled anti-tank vehicle that can keep up with the rest of the brigade on roads and heavy up the firepower of the brigades for conventional conflict.
So the only need for the unique attributes of a light tank is in either a forced entry scenario for the 82nd Airborne Division or possibly a very short tactical lift of a Stryker battalion-sized unit (perhaps to reinforce that parachute landing that seized that airfield).
Given that, if the Army wants light tanks (or wheeled versions), it had best be an off-the-shelf design with a 105mm gun and anti-tank missiles for the tougher jobs. This is one of those "nice to have things" that can survive because so few would be needed the line item would be close to a rounding error. But if it gets gold plated and the unit price skyrockets, the Army can kiss this capability goodbye.
