U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has said he wants future Army combat vehicles to include active protection systems (APS), lighter armor and an option for unmanned operations, DoD Buzz reported Friday.
Milley said at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. that the Army should install APS and other technologies into the M1 Abrams, M2/M3 Bradley and M1126 Stryker vehicles to maintain their relevance for decades.
“If we can discover a material — and I’ve got a lot of research and development going into it — if we can discover a material that is significantly lighter in weight that gives you the same armor protection, that would be a real significant breakthrough,” said Milley.
He added that the Army also seeks to incorporate advanced weapon systems such as lasers and railguns into the military branch’s combat vehicles, National Defense reported.
Milley noted that the M1 tank looks the same as it did when it was first deployed in the 1980s but technologies inside the vehicle have undergone upgrades and modifications over the years.
The general noted that mechanized warfare between ground armies will remain a challenge.
