Why is the Army so oddly fixated on light tanks?
U.S. Army modernization officials are looking for defense firms capable of producing lightweight tanks to arm infantry brigades with more firepower for the future battlefield.
Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems released a market survey Friday afternoon under the Mobile Protected Firepower, or MPF, program to find companies able to manufacture hundreds of these highly mobile, light armored vehicles, according to the document, released on the U.S. federal contracting website.
"The MPF system provides early entry forces a mobile, protected, direct fire capability to apply immediate, lethal, long-range fires in the engagement of armored vehicles, hardened enemy fortifications, dismounted personnel and represents a long-term solution to the Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) capability," the document states.
The MPF should just be called the FBOH, because they will just burn nicely on the battlefield:
In my view, these light tanks are just Future Burned-Out Hulks (FBOHs, for the acronym addicted defense community):
How sporting of the Army! They want to give enemies a fighting chance on the battlefield by giving them potential targets easy to kill. Will nobody in the infantry reject those flaming coffins?
We have Abrams tanks. Use them, as I urged in Army magazine.
The only market is for air dropping light armor in parachute units. Is it worth it to build a new vehicle for that niche market?
Really, the Army is worried about infantry brigades facing off against enemy heavy forces that field actual tanks. If we want mobile, protected, direct fire capability to assist infantry that isn't parachuting into an airhead, just assign Abrams tank companies or battalions to the IBCTs.
Anything else is asking for flaming failure on the battlefield.
