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US Army Officially Contemplates Small APCs

Summary: In the newest iteration of the #OMFV (#IFV) competition, the Army relaxed the passenger capacity requirement. This means that the contractors can offer a traditional 9-to-12-seat vehicle, a pair of smaller 5-to-6-seat vehicles, or an escort + an #APC. The up-to-15-vehicle fleet needs to deliver a 30-pax dismounted platoon.

Analysis: #Contracting-wise, this is good news. A requirement that focuses on the desired effect gives the contractors more flexibility to innovate, potentially saving money or lives. This is essentially #MissionCommand in #Acquisition.

Many people have studied alternative #AIFV and #mechanizedInfantry platoon designs for many years. The small APC idea has been around for awhile, but never caught on anywhere, except in #cavalry / #recce applications. The main obstacles to small APCs are: cost and C2. The 9-to-12 seat AIFV/APC (and 3-4-vehicle platoon) is more cost-effective. And theoretically, the #squadLeader can better maintain control and brief the squad before dismount.

Of course, soon after buying the M2 #Bradley, the U.S. Army started messing with the #platoon seat assignment. These days, the 2 dismount squads and the platoon HQ all get split up amongst the 4 Bradleys, squad integrity be damned. The British and Russian armies also split up their mech squads, though not as much as the Yanks. So the C2 argument is less relevant nowadays.

With modern manufacturing, and the greater survivability requirements, small APCs can be more cost-effective, too. As the PM said in the article, small APCs are lighter and cheaper. #PentagonWars.

#OIF has given the U.S.Army experience with small APCs, too. As I wrote in the Small APC Days of the #Dragoon's article, the #Humvee gun trucks are basically small APCs. The heavy battalions operated theater-provided humvees / #MRAP's alongside their #Abrams and Bradleys. This experience operating a mixed fleet likely made the Army more open to alternative vehicle concepts.

Tactically, small APCs make the mechanized infantry squad more capable, too. The WW1 #Stosstrupp innovation gave the infantry squad the ability to combine fire and maneuver, previously a Battalion / Regiment capability. The small APC gives the same capability to the mech infantry squad during the #ApproachMarch, too. The squad can split up and start maneuvering before dismounting.

Doctrinally, mechanized infantry is supposed to dismount far away from the objective, to protect the APCs / AIFVs from threat #antiTank weapons. As the PM said, small APCs can be more survivable, so small APCs can get closer to the objective without detection by the enemy anti-tank teams. This also means that mechanized infantry with small APCs might be capable of #tankDesant operations, dismounting right on the objective under fire.

The true destiny of the Mechanized Infantry is the #PoweredArmor, of course. The small APC is one step closer to the end state. Maybe this RFP will get us there.