Manned Ground Vehicle

Manned Ground Vehicle, Army program element PE 0605625A, funds development of the XM30 combat vehicle through the Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Army appropriation, under Budget Activity 5, System Development and Demonstration. Its CF6 project is the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV). The XM30 is a minimally manned, open-architecture vehicle intended to carry infantry to advantageous positions and support close combat as part of mechanized sections, platoons, and companies. Depending on the commander's decision, it is designed to operate with or without a crew and Soldiers under armor.

The XM30 is intended to become the Armored Brigade Combat Team's primary vehicle for transporting and employing infantry in combat. After Soldiers dismount, it will support them with advanced sensors, lethality, protection, and integrated mission command. Design objectives include improved underbody protection, enhanced optics for penetration and standoff against near-peer threats, and capacity for future upgrades. Its digital, open architecture is meant to accelerate modernization while avoiding dependence on a single vendor.

The Army is using a five-phase acquisition approach. Market research and requirements development preceded concept-design contracts with five vendors; a best-value competition then selected two for detailed design and prototype build and test. Phase 4 runs from fiscal year 2025 into early fiscal year 2028. The schedule places Transformation in Contact (TiC) prototype delivery in late 2026, National Training Center (NTC) activity and evaluation in 2027, and a low-rate initial production contract award in late 2027.

Government Engineering & Program Management supports the Project Management Office, XM30 Combat Vehicle (PM XM30), as two vendors proceed through prototype build, TiC, and the XM30 Software Pathway. Government and contractor specialists address open-architecture design, cybersecurity, software, and systems engineering. Fiscal year 2027 funding also supports the Phase 5 request for proposals and statutory milestone reviews. Requirements for managing contractor design decline as the program shifts toward test and evaluation.

Digital Engineering maintains a cloud-based engineering environment and government-owned development platform incorporating artificial intelligence, machine learning, Digital Twins, and Development/Security/Operations (DevSecOps) pipelines. Fiscal year 2027 work covers Product Lifecycle Management tools, Model-Based Systems Engineering, modeling and simulation, interfaces between tools, and secure data management. A Virtual Software-In-The-Loop environment uses virtual machines modeled on vehicle hardware to test software interactions and computing limits earlier and more frequently. Costs decline after initial environment development and a move to a lower-cost cloud.

Product Development provides the final Phase 4 increment for two vendors' design maturation and prototype work, including hardware, software, producibility planning, tooling, training plans, and support equipment. Project Proteus continues to demonstrate advanced technologies in an operationally relevant setting. The emphasis moves from building prototypes toward testing them for TiC. Modeling Simulation & Analysis separately funds virtual experimentation, subsystem assessment before Pre-Production Prove-Out Testing (PPT), and work on additive manufacturing, advanced logistics, and predictive maintenance.

System Test & Evaluation expands in fiscal year 2027 as prototypes enter government PPT. Work includes survivability assessments of both vendors' armor coupons, hulls, and turrets; inspections of remaining deliveries; TiC and NTC evaluations; and testing tied to Software Pathway Minimum Viable Capability Releases (MVCRs). Training Aids, Devices, Simulators & Simulation supports XM30-specific equipment for Soldier assessments, touchpoints, and the TiC unit's NTC rotation, following earlier integration of the Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System and 50mm laser-engagement equipment.

XM913 Maturation continues development of the XM30's 50mm cannon, including configuration control and reliability, durability, safety, and environmental tests. It also supports High Explosive Airburst with Tracer ammunition testing, manufacturer assistance, and upgrades relevant to counter-unmanned-aircraft capability. Software Pathway funds iterative development with Soldier feedback on Project Proteus, beginning with unmanned-aerial-vehicle-aided target recognition. Later priorities include counter-drone and counter-anti-tank-guided-missile capabilities, electronic warfare, active protection, machine-aided driving, and features that reduce crew workload.