New images of the light tank prototype developed by BAE Systems have recently emerged on social media. One of the light tank prototypes for U.S. Army infantry brigade combat teams was spotted at the company’s facility in Michigan.
The new combat vehicle, developed as part of the Army’s future mobile protected firepower (MPF), is a protected platform capable of delivering overwhelming precisionfirepower combined with the ability to move rapidly in a variety of terrain conditions.
These images, shared by Kristo Karl on its Twitter account, divulge new details about the designs of BAE’s MPF prototype.
The new light tank equipped with 105mm cannon, and an auto-loading ammunition system that allows the gun to fire at a rate of 12 rounds per minute. It is also fitted with heavy and medium machine guns.
According to open sources, the new combat vehicle integrates scalable armor and innovative survivability subsystems to protect the vehicle and crew from threats on the future battlefield. The metal bolt-on armor system provides field repairable, or replacement.
The MPF solution is an integration of existing mature technologies and components that avoids development which would lengthen the program schedule.
In addition, last month, BAE Systems has delivered its first prototype of the Mobile Protected Firepower light tank to the Army at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
The Inside Defense has reported that the new light tank will be used in the Army’s soldier vehicle assessment at Ft. Bragg, NC, which began in January. The service will use the assessment to choose between prototypes from BAE and General Dynamics Land Systems.
The competitive phase of the program is scheduled to conclude with the selection of a single materiel solution and transition into production near the end of fiscal year 2022.
@Aviation_Intel how many of the BAE M8 Buford MPF units been delivered to US Army? I know one was delivered about a moth ago + 2 hulls. I spotted one in early April.
Is it officially M8 Buford? Pic’s @ BAE Systems Land & Armaments Center of Excellence prototyping facility today. pic.twitter.com/5A61Spk751
— Kristo Karl (@KarlKristo) May 6, 2021