While much is being made about the future of main battle tanks within today’s US Army, less has been discussed regarding an eventual replacement for the aging M2/M3 family of Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles. An attempt was made way back in 2014 to come up with a solution under the Ground Combat Vehicle program, although plans were eventually scrapped due to limited Congressional funding and weight concerns. A new answer, dubbed the Future Fighting Vehicle (FFV) program, was put forward by the DoD several years ago to come up with a better and more agile replacement for the venerable Bradley — one that could take advantage of the latest technological achievements being made across the entire military spectrum.
In early 2025, the FFV program calls for two separate competitors to field their efforts to determine which will become the newly crowned king of IFVs, with the winner being selected in 2027 and the first set of production vehicles supposedly seeing service as early as 2029. Bear in mind that eleven different variants of the XM-30 are being proposed, from the traditional infantry fighting vehicle to field ambulances and mortar carriers, so every aspect of the design will be looked at closely to determine its value in each role. Additionally, careful attention will be paid to the vehicle’s weight, profile, crew carrying capability, firepower, both active and passive protection systems from a wide array of potential kinetic threats, and ultimate cost given its range of wartime responsibilities. The accompanying video does an excellent job of explaining the program in greater detail as well as discussing the merits of the two contenders who will soon go head-to-head to seek final approval.