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Here Is the Army’s M2 Bradley Replacement Lurking in the Dark, Teaser Doesn’t Show Much

The American military is currently engaged in all-out modernization efforts across its six branches. Of them all, the new hardware coming the way of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) is the most spectacular, true, but others have cool things up their sleeves too.
BAE Systems OMFV 7 photos
Photo: BAE Systems
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Over in the U.S. Army’s backyard, one of those cool things is the so-called Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV). A platform capable of moving soldiers on the battlefield as part of combined arms maneuver, the OMFV is in essence the replacement for the aging M2 Bradley.

The program was launched back in 2017, and in July of last year the Army announced the five companies allowed in the Phase II of the program. Among them, BAE Systems, which this week announced it got several other big names of the industry involved in its interpretation of the OMFV project.

For its machine, BAE will work with Elbit Systems to integrate the 50 mm Unmanned Turret (UT50). Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions is involved in developing the vehicle’s Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA), but also electronics and control systems. A third company, QinetiQ, is tasked with supplying its E-X-Drive transmission.

Along with the announcement of these companies being involved, BAE Systems also released a few images of the OMFV it is working on. Sadly, they don’t reveal much, and they’re originally also kind of dark. We tried to brighten them up, of course, but we could only go so far without completely ruining the images – you can see the results, and a glimpse at how the BAE Systems OMFV is shaping, up in the gallery above.

The Army will have to choose between the BAE project, but also those submitted by Point Blank Enterprises, Oshkosh, General Dynamics, and Rheinmetall. Three of the companies will be selected next year to move into the prototype stage.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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