Intelligent infantry fighting vehicle to replace Bradley fleet in 2028
NewsMarch 16, 2021
WALTHAM, Mass. Raytheon Technologies and American Rheinmetall Vehicles announced that the companies are developing an infantry fighting vehicle that can conduct close-combat operations, survive modern threats like anti-tank guided missiles and cyber attacks, and use artificial intelligence (AI) to aid decision making.
The vehicle, Rheinmetall’s Lynx KF41 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, will be the foundation for the industry team’s proposed design to the U.S. Army for its Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, which will replace the aging Bradley fleet.
According to the companies, the team’s design includes a chassis produced by Textron Systems and a next-generation transmission by Allison Transmissions, both made in the United States.
The traditional three-soldier crew of a Bradley fighting vehicle will be replaced with two soldiers and an AI-powered virtual third crew member to help the humans on board make quicker decisions. When the system finds a threat, it will classify it and assign it a priority, after which soldiers can decide whether and how to engage.
The Lynx team is using digital engineering to build computer models to ensure new capabilities like aided target recognition (ATR) are compatible with the vehicle to allow them to connect multiple points of model data into one database. A computerized testbed will allow them to create the vehicle virtually, then export the digital model and build a physical version.
The Army plans to have its Bradley replacement in the field in 2028.
