XM30: open architecture will decide the Bradley’s successor – the Lynx and the Wolf in trials at Aberdeen

The US Army will make open systems architecture a key criterion for choosing the winner of the XM30 competition, the infantry fighting vehicle that will replace the M2 Bradley. “There are other aspects that we are absolutely evaluating, but this is extremely important to me and we will evaluate it as part of this selection process,” Brig. Gen. Troy Denomy, head of the maneuver vehicles acquisition portfolio, told Breaking Defense in an interview at the AUSA conference.

The US Army is prioritising the ability to quickly adapt its platforms and integrate new technologies as threats evolve, particularly in the counter-drone fight. Open architecture allows the Army and industry to “plug in” new software and hardware on the vehicle. According to the Congressional Research Service report, the XM30 is designed as a MOSA platform, based on an open standard defined and owned by the Army itself. In the competition are American Rheinmetall with the Lynx XM30 and General Dynamics Land Systems with the Wolf XM30. On which has the more open architecture, Denomy said it is “too early to say”.

Each company has delivered a prototype for testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The tests identified some software capabilities that need “tuning”, mainly in communication between subsystems. “Both companies are responding very quickly to the changes needed, it is nothing unusual for a prototype,” Denomy said, noting that the open architecture allowed quick fixes. “The commitment behind the XM30 is real and significant and we have two very viable proposals,” he added.

The programme also faces a budgetary question mark. The government is operating under a continuing resolution and Congress has not passed the 2027 budget. The Army requested 547 million dollars to procure 19 XM30s in 2027, but the draft of the House Appropriations defence subcommittee cut the line to 33.1 million. Denomy said congressional staff reacted positively to the briefing at Aberdeen. In parallel, the Army is experimenting with BAE Systems’ AMPV-30, with a Kongsberg 30 mm turret, in an infantry vehicle role, but Denomy warned against equating it with the XM30.

At the same AUSA, BAE presented its MDACS counter-drone-swarm system, while the Army received the first Mobile Tactical Cannon from Hanwha.