A significant milestone has just been reached by American Rheinmetall and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), the U.S. Army’s future Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), which will replace the iconic Bradley. The XM30 program has advanced significantly with both companies having finished preliminary design reviews of their respective candidates.The U.S. Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program intends to replace about 3,800 Bradley vehicles that have been in use since the 1980s. The new hybrid vehicles will reduce crew size, improve protection and adaptability, and have sophisticated sensing systems and increased lethality.Contracts for this program’s development phase are estimated to be worth $1.6 billion, while the program as a whole is anticipated to need $45 billion.
