US Army looks to composite components to reduce weight of ground vehicles
An M2 Bradley IFV at Fort Irwin, California. (Photo: US Army)
The army has requested nearly US$1 billion to fund initiatives related to increasing mobility and payloads of in-service platforms in FY2025.
The US Army is keen to take advantage of lighter composite materials to reduce the overall weight of its combat and transport vehicles. Over FY2025, the service plans to invest nearly $1 billion in efforts to make its core land fleet lighter and more agile.
Some of the initiatives focus on Abrams tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles and the Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV).
Speaking to Shephard, mechanical engineer and president of US-based company Mayflower Consulting, Andrew Halonen, explained that weight reduction enables ground platforms to carry more payload and better manoeuvre on the battlefield.
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