Aug 2, 2019

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

Commanders!

As a part of our usual discounts, we are bringing you two vehicles this week:

Armata 152 Tier 10 Premium MBT, available through blueprint Loot Crates
Expeditionary Tank Tier 6 Premium LT

The following items are available between August 1 and August 7, 2019:

Armata 152

The Armata 152 is a version of the T-14 Armata, armed with larger cannon. One of the upgrades considered for the T-14 Armata was the increase of its caliber to 152mm in order to absolutely, positively destroy anything with the first shot. The 2A83 smoothbore is a behemoth of a gun, designed in the last days of the Soviet empire for the next generation of super-tanks. It’s massive, heavy and quite costly to produce, but, most importantly, it was never truly needed to deal with the western MBTs since the standard 125mm guns were (and still are) up to the task. That is why it never found its way on any Soviet MBT with even the standard T-14 Armata being armed with an improved 125mm cannon. You can, however, experience its awesome firepower in Armored Warfare!

In Armored Warfare, the T-14 Armata 152 is a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank. While not firing as fast as its 125mm counterpart, the 152mm rounds do enormous damage, often eliminating weaker opponents with a single shot. And then there’s the platform itself – the Armata, the most modern Main Battle Tank in the world. Earn it and use it to dominate!

Between August 1 and August 7, 2019, you have the opportunity to obtain this unique vehicle from an Armata 152 Loot Crate that contains mostly Armata 152 blueprint pieces. You need to assemble one hundred of these pieces (that will appear in your Inventory upon the crate opening) to receive the Armata 152. Each crate drops one of the following items:

Armata 152 Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank (rare drop)
1 to 99 blueprint pieces
Temporary 1-day version of a random Tier 6 or higher Premium vehicle
A part of an Special Armata 152 Loot Crate (collect 10 to receive a Special Armata 152 Loot Crate – Special Loot Crates are enhanced versions of the standard Loot Crates, offering more drops and higher chances to receive better items)
An extra Armata 152 Loot Crate

If a player already has the same Premium vehicle the Loot Crate dropped a temporary version of in his or her inventory, he or she will receive 125 Gold instead.

The Loot Crate is available by purchasing it in our Web Shop in the following bundles:

2 Loot Crates (5% discount)
5 Loot Crates (10% discount)
11 Loot Crates (15% discount)
23 Loot Crates (25% discount)
50 Loot Crates (37% discount)

Expeditionary Tank

The Expeditionary Tank was an American attempt to create a high-tech, multi-purpose light fire support vehicle with an unmanned turret, capable of being carried by transport planes to its destination. Fast and agile, it was to enhance the firepower of American rapid deployment. Despite its advanced design, the prototype was never mass-produced.

In Armored Warfare, the Expeditionary Tank is a Tier 6 Light Tank. It features a powerful combination of good mobility, well-sloped armor and an unmanned turret that takes reduced damage. It's one of the best flankers of Armored Warfare and is rightfully feared on any battlefield.

Aside from the discounted standalone offer, it is available in the following bundles:

Improved Bundle with 30% discount, containing:

Expeditionary Tank Tier 6 Premium Light Tank
10 Gold Loot Crates
10 Gold Battlefield Glory 12-hour Boost tokens
35 Gold Crew Insignia tokens
35 Gold Commander Insignia tokens
35 Gold Reputation Insignia tokens
35 Gold Credits Insignia tokens
35 Gold Experience Insignia tokens

Prime Bundle with 50% discount, containing:

Expeditionary Tank Tier 6 Premium Light Tank
15 Platinum Loot Crates
10 Platinum Battlefield Glory 12-hour Boost tokens
40 Platinum Crew Insignia tokens
40 Platinum Commander Insignia tokens
40 Platinum Reputation Insignia tokens
40 Platinum Credits Insignia tokens
40 Platinum Experience Insignia tokens

Ultimate Bundle with 55% discount, containing:

Expeditionary Tank Tier 6 Premium Light Tank
Reaper skin for the Expeditionary Tank
Uncle Sam skin for the Expeditionary Tank
40 Platinum Loot Crates
15 Platinum Battlefield Glory 12-hour Boost tokens
15 Platinum Armored Warfare 12-hour Boost tokens
10.000 Gold

Please note:

This offer starts on August 1, 16:00 CEST (7 AM PDT, 17:00 MSK)
This offer ends on August 7, 16:00 CEST (7 AM PDT, 17:00 MSK)
The Armata 152 Loot Crate offer is not available to players located in the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium

Enjoy the offer and see you on the battlefield!

Aug 1, 2019

Branch of the Month – BMPs

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

Commanders!

This month in our Branch of the Month series is dedicated to the BMP series branch, available in Sophie Wölfli’s vehicle pool.

The BMP series or Soviet and Russian Infantry Fighting Vehicles goes back to the 1960s when he Soviets needed a fast, armored, tracked vehicle to keep up with their armored formations. What they came up with was, at that time, the most modern IFV in the world and certainly the best armed one – at least in paper – the BMP-1.

The ubiquitous BMP-1 is – quite correctly – regarded as one of the symbols of the Soviet military power, the fears of the western militaries embodied in endless streams of Russian vehicles, thrust from the cities of East Germany, plains of Poland and mountains of Czechoslovakia as an armored spear into the heart of the NATO forces in Europe. The vehicle development history is described in our dedicated article.

The reality, as it usually happens, was far less glorious and first combat operations of the BMP-1 in the conflict of Soviet-backed Arab nations versus Israel have shown the weaknesses of this light IFV, specifically the insufficient armament, cramped compartment and poor crew placement. While the issues in the middle-eastern wars were largely attributed to the improper use of the exported vehicles along with wrong tactics, admitting the problems of the vehicle on its home ground – in Soviet Russia – proved out to be much longer and arduous process, especially since it had to include certain influential parties admitting being wrong. It took a great deal of time to design its replacement, the BMP-2, and the process was anything but simple. It is described in the following articles:

The BMP-2 was an upgrade over the BMP-1, but not a huge one – it was more like an upgraded version with many of the original design flaws, including its cramped design and the inability to mount a larger weapon system. But, even before the first BMP-2 rolled off the assembly lines, the Soviets had set their sights on developing a true successor – a bigger and better BMP.

The result was the BMP-3. Larger and better armored, it replaced the BMP-1 and BMP-2 weapons with the rather distinctive combination of a low muzzle energy 100mm cannon (intended to fire HE rounds and gun-launched missiles) and a long-barreled 30mm autocannon.

Several hundred were built starting from the late 1980s but by the time it appeared in public, the Soviet Union was practically collapsing. The 1990s were a dark time for the Russian military as many of the development and production programs from the Soviet era were cancelled due to a lack of funding, including a true mass production – approximately 2000 vehicles were built in total throughout the 1990s, but around three quarters of that number were export vehicles – Russia itself kept around 500 of them, a significant drop compared to the tens of thousands of earlier BMP vehicles. Its history was also described in a dedicated article.

The BMP-3 continues to serve to this day stay as the main Russian IFV. During the 2000s, several major upgrades for it were conceived (including the BMP-3M and the Dragun), some of which are available in Armored Warfare.

From August 1 to August 31, 2019, the following vehicles will be available for lower price than usual along with a Battle-Hardened status discount:

BMP-1 Tier 3 AFV – The original Soviet BMP-1 IFV in its configuration with a Malyutka launcher and a 73mm 2A28 Grom gun. At the time of its introduction in mid-1960s, it was the best IFV in the world but grew obsolete in the decades that followed. With more than twenty thousand built (including the license-produced variants), it is still one of the most common IFVs in the world. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.

Discount: 35%

BMP-1P Tier 4 AFV – This is an upgraded late production BMP-1 model. The biggest difference compared to the original BMP-1 is the improved guided missile system, allowing it to knock out even the tanks that the original Malyutka ATGM would struggle with. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.

Discount: 35%

BMP-2 Tier 5 AFV – The BMP-2 was the second major production variant of the original BMP with its turret replaced by one carrying a 30mm autocannon. Like the BMP-1, it was produced in relatively large numbers in the Soviet Union and outside of it as well. You can read more about it in our article series – Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Discount: 35%

BMP-3 Tier 6 AFV – Unlike the BMP-2, this vehicle from the late 1980s was a true replacement for the BMP-1 and BMP-2, not just an upgrade. Unfortunately for it, the fall of the Soviet Union severely limited its development funds as well as its production orders and, to this day, only about two thousand had been built. Nevertheless, it is the current main IFV of the Russian Federation. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.

Discount: 35%

BMP-3M Tier 7 AFV – The BMP-3M variant was a late 1990s attempt at a major modernization of the BMP-3 that included a more powerful engine, a better FCS and improved gun-launched ATGMs. Other improvements included an Arena-E APS option. An unknown number of these vehicles was built for both the Russian Federation and for export but the production run was likely limited to only dozens of vehicles. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.

Discount: 25%

Dragun 125 Tier 8 LT – The Dragun (“Dragoon”) is a platform derived from the original BMP-3 but with many changes and improvements. The biggest change is the overhaul of its internal layout by moving the engine to the front – this leaves more space for the crew and improves frontal crew protection. Three combat modules were conceived for the Dragun platform – a 100+30mm one, a 57mm one and a 125mm one akin to that of the Sprut-SDM-1. The Armored Warfare version is armed with the 125mm turret and equipped with an ERA kit.

Discount: 25%

In Armored Warfare, the BMP series (with the exception of the Dragun) can be classified as a heavy IFV one.

Heavy IFVs lie in their role somewhere between the Light AFVs (such as the VBLs and BMDs) and the Light Tanks. On the scale of mobility, they are second only to the Light AFVs, especially on hard surfaces, with the scale itself looking roughly as such (from the highest mobility class to the lowest):

Light AFVs
Heavy IFVs
Light Tanks
Tank Destroyers
Main Battle Tanks
Self-Propelled Guns

The armament systems are generally identical to the Light AFV class but are better stabilized (increased accuracy on the move) or can fire faster. Heavy AFVs are also larger and have more hitpoints with some of the vehicles featuring quite solid protection, rivaling that of the Light Tanks – for example, the Bradley and the BMP-3 both carry an ERA kit. This armor, however, should not be generally relied upon as main caliber weapons and guided missiles will penetrate it quite easily.

While they are still AFVs and are fully capable of scouting, Heavy AFVs typically don’t carry the Recon Package module of the light AFVs that reduces the spotted indicator feedback time and increases vehicle viewrange when standing still. Additionally, they are usually much larger, a fact that considerably reduces their camouflage factor. These two drawbacks make them considerably worse at passive spotting – they are too conspicuous to successfully stay hidden behind a bush and have to rely on their speed and agility.

The Heavy AFVs are suitable for you if you prefer more mobile playstyle compared to the Light AFVs. Mobility and speed is everything – circle around your opponents and hit them where it hurts – areas such as the engines decks and vehicle flanks are especially vulnerable to AFV cannon fire. Or keep your distance and use your missiles to take the enemies out, but your main role on the battlefield will still be scouting.

As was stated above, the primary role of the Armored Fighting Vehicles in Armored Warfare is scouting, or spotting (both terms are commonly used). Spotting is the act of making the enemy vehicles visible for your entire team so that vehicles that are further away or do not have the best spotting abilities can target them.

There are essentially two kinds of spotting:

Active spotting, where a vehicle uses its speed to spot the enemy while avoiding incoming fire
Passive spotting, where a vehicle attempts to stay hidden for as long as possible by standing still

While the Light Tank class is suitable for active spotting, the AFVs excel at both – in fact, spotting is their primary purpose. Light AFVs are best at passive spotting (staying hidden behind bushes), Heavy AFVs are best at active spotting – only the Light Tanks come close.

The most important skill, when playing AFVs of any type, is to read the flow of battle and to understand your surroundings. As was stated above, a stopped or slowed and spotted AFV is a dead AFV – there are practically no exceptions to that rule since the fragile vehicles represent a juicy target.

The basic short-range combat technique is called circling. Auto-locking your gun on the enemy at short range allows you, thanks to your mobility and fast turret traverse, to stay focused on driving and firing while the gun points at the enemy flanks and rear. This way, you can drive in circles around heavy enemies such as MBTs and they won’t be able to follow you. This tactic is especially suitable for dealing with targets that your gun would otherwise be unable to penetrate like the Challenger – targeting its rear is a must when using your autocannon. Beware, however – nimble targets such as Light Tanks, other AFVs and some Tank Destroyers will be able to track you even when you attempt to circle them and a head-on firefight is not something any AFV can afford to participate in.

Heavy AFVs are exceptionally good at hunting Light AFVs thanks to their increased durability, protection, firepower and decent spotting abilities. Marking an enemy AFV with your special ability will definitely ruin his day.

Another essential skill is to learn of all the proper spotting areas on each map. The key is to find a place with the following properties:

Good vantage point over areas where the enemies are expected to show up
Plenty of cover and foliage to hide you
Accessible route of retreat

The last point should not be underestimated – when discovered, you only have a second or two to react while the enemy is still targeting you. The best tactic is to stay in cover with the front of your hull aimed at the retreat route – this way, running away is only a matter of going forward instead of wasting precious second to turn.

Truly mastering the AFV class requires patience and experience with the game and a lot of practice – the reward is driving perhaps the most frustrating class of vehicles to defeat. It is, therefore, the right choice for players who truly want to make other players hate them as an extremely skilled player in an AFV is perhaps the most difficult kind of opponent to kill in the entire game.

We’ll see you on the battlefield!

Jul 31, 2019

Developer Diary: AI diversity in PvE

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

Commanders!

One of the issues you’ve brought up recently concerns the diversity of AI vehicles in PvE battles as well as their composition.

Or, to be more specific, you’ve pointed out two issues:

The first concerns the fact that the newest vehicles in Armored Warfare are not appearing in the role of AI opponents. This concerns mostly the French branch, but there are other vehicles affected by this issue as well.

Secondly, there are cases where too many vehicles of the same type spawn in a short span of time. Let’s face it – no-one likes to fight against a horde of T-15 Armatas on Tier 10 or to get trampled by a wild herd of roving Swingfires.

When it comes to the first issue, starting from Update 0.30, we’d like to address it by automatizing the whole process to a considerable degree and introducing an internal mechanism that will add all new vehicles to the AI spawn pool while notify the developer responsible to approve them. The approving developer will then review them and have them tested.

The reason why this requires human oversight is fairly obvious – AI vehicles are not that different from player ones and use, for example, the same firing mechanisms (they don’t “bend bullets” or have different penetration resolution).

Some vehicles are therefore inherently unsuitable to become AI opponents because to play against them would be frustrating. The older players of you might remember the old times before we removed artillery from the AI vehicle pool. Another such potentially toxic cases might include top-down ATGMs or the new Javelin ATGM mechanism with high trajectory. And, of course, there is the Object 490 – we are currently not interested in having it in the game as an AI opponent due to the potential frustrations it might cause.

We have already identified around two dozen vehicles that pose no threat to PvE balance and will be added to the PvE spawn pool in Update 0.30, including:

Low-to-mid Tier French tanks
Al-Hussein
BM Oplot
Leclerc series
VT-4, Magach 7A and other random vehicles that didn’t make it to the list until now for whatever reason

The vehicles we still need to check and test thoroughly include, for example:

Chieftain series (HESH in AI hands is just nasty)
Scorpion Kastet and a few other vehicles with powerful autocannons
IT-1 and its hard-hitting ATGMs
C-13 and Leclerc T40 due to the top-down mechanism
MTLB S-8, Ontos and other such outlier vehicles that hit extremely hard if they manage to connect their shots

The second issue – diversity – will partially solve itself after we introduce a number of new vehicles to the AI spawn pool. Nevertheless, we will take a close look at the issue where multiple same vehicles spawn at once, analyze it and will eventually impose some diversity restrictions to limit such cases.

Are there any special vehicles that you would like to see as AI opponents specifically? Let us know on Discord!

We hope you will enjoy these changes – see you on the battlefield!

Jul 29, 2019

Maintenance - July 30

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

On the 30th of July 2019, starting from 8:00 CEST (29th of July, 11 PM PDT), the server will not be available for 4 hours due to the application of Update 0.29.5627.

List of Update 0.29.5627 Changes

New Special Operation

The fourth Moscow Calling Special Operation is now available, finishing the Moscow Calling story arc with a prisoner rescue raid. It’s bringing three new achievements:

Moscow Resident 4
Before They React
Emergency Service

Contract Missions Review

We’ve reviewed the Contract Missions that require you to help your allies deal damage as such:

The Best Hand mission now requires 6.000 assist damage in PvP or 13.000 in GLOPS
The Tireless Support mission now requires 1.000 assist damage in PvP or 5.000 in PvE or GLOPS
The Bulldozer mission can now be completed over the course of multiple battles

Additionally, the Perfect Streak mission that requires you to win 5 PvE missions in a row without dying now also takes platoon deaths into account and cannot be completed if one of your platoon members dies.

General Changes

Fixed an exploit that allowed players to force complete Battalion Contract Missions for free
Fixed an issue that caused items activated from your Inventory to disappear
Compensated the T-90, Warrior and Centauro 105 Experience lost due to a previously present issue with the Rage skins
A number of MBTs had their roof armor reduced and fixed (Object 640, Challenger 2, Challenger 2 ATDU, T-90MS, Merkava Mk.4, Merkava Mk.4M, C1 Ariete, Leopard Evolution, Leopard Revolution, Leopard 2A5, Type 96B, Type 99A, Type 99A2, BM Oplot)
Challenger 1 Fionn: fixed an issue that caused the mantlet to be only 150mm thick instead of the intended 800mm
Challenger 2: fixed an issue where this vehicle received an unintentional armor nerf (upper frontal plate weakspot) as well as the armor above its mantlet
Challenger 2 ATDU: fixed an issue where this vehicle received an unintentional armor nerf (upper frontal plate weakspot)
Leclerc T40: ATGM lock-on time reduced by 10 percent
Leclerc T40: fixed an issue that caused the Improved Missile Launcher upgrade module bonuses to not work correctly Leclerc T40: the Improved Sights module now improves maximum spread and aiming time by 40 percent (from 20 percent)
Leclerc T40: the Improved Missile Launcher module now allows you to have two ATGMs in the air at the same time
M-95 Degman: the LAHAT ATGM was replaced by a more powerful Falarick ATGM
Moscow Calling Special Operation 1: fixed an issue where the achievement awarded for protecting Magnus’ tank and preventing it from taking any hitpoint damage was not awarded if the tank received any module damage (immobilization, for example)
Moscow Calling Special Operation 3: fixed an issue where the first wave of flying drones had 0 hitpoints
Moscow Calling Special Operation 3: fixed an issue where the transports carrying the cargo could sometimes get out of their final objective capture circle
Immobilizing your team’s players in Global Operations now carries a hefty Credit penalty
Fixed several mission description issues
Fixed a number of small UI issues

Jul 29, 2019

In Development: Griffin

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

Commanders!

Today, we’d like to show you the first of the high-Tier progression vehicles that are coming during the next season. These vehicles will not be a part of the portfolio of a new dealer – they will, instead, be added to an existing dealer, Oscar Faraday. Each of these vehicles will be unique in its own way – from interesting additional mechanics to entirely new concepts, this group has it all. With that being said, let’s take a look at the first vehicle of our menu – the Griffin Light Tank.

But, let us start from the beginning. In 2014, the NATO forces found themselves in a new reality. The War on Terror ended, and a new era for the western militaries began with Russia once again coming to the forefront of military interest by its involvement in the War in Donbas. Conventional large-scale war, the light NATO anti-terror expeditionary forces were ill-suited for, found its way back into the spotlight, and rapid response to potential Russian attacks became one of the main topics of military discussions.

In the eyes of the west, the most threatened regions were (and are) the Baltic countries – however, both sides of the potential conflict in the region realize that the NATO response options are seriously limited. Measures, such as the creation of the NATO Response Force unit, were taken to remedy that situation, but it is not enough to simply attach troops to a certain dedicated unit – their equipment must be suitable for their task as well.

For the United States Army, it meant the launch of several new programs (limited in their scope in order to not repeat the mistakes of the Future Combat Systems program) and one of them was called MPF (Mobile Protected Firepower).

The goal of the MPF program was – still is, in fact – to provide the U.S. Airborne forces with a highly mobile Light Tank with ample firepower, capable of being air-dropped from the C-130 Hercules. This Light Tank is to replace the Stryker in the Infantry Brigade Combat Team units. But, unlike the older, ill-fated American armor programs that swallowed billions of dollars with nothing to show for, the MFP program prefers existing technology.

The first vehicle to be dusted off for this program was the latest iteration of the venerable M8 Thunderbolt Light Tank that’s been around in one form or another since the early 1990s. Another candidate brought up was the Light Tank version of another older platform, the CV90. But there was also a third sort-of-candidate of which we will talk about today – the Griffin.

The Griffin started out in 2016 as little more than a technology demonstrator. Just a little explanation first, though. Tech demonstrators and prototypes do get mixed up a lot – the difference is that where a prototype is an actual prototype of an actual concept that’s supposed to be tested or evaluated in other ways, technology demonstrator is basically just a platform with components thrown together for demonstrative purposes. In other words, the goal of a prototype is to evaluate the vehicle as a whole while the goal of a tech demonstrator is to show off its components. Technology demonstrators are sometimes immobile or are missing critical components and are not intended as fully functional vehicles.

With that being said, the Griffin technology demonstrator first appeared in public during the Association of the United States Army (AUSA 2016) conference. By then, it was little more than a slapdash of existing components and cardboard that, after all, took only a few months to assemble.

It was built to look impressive and to promote the MPF program since it was coming along slowly and the first-line units it was intended for the most – the 101st Airborne and the 82nd Airborne – needed it to replace the aging Stryker.

The Griffin was built by General Dynamics Land Systems to conform to the requirements laid out by MPF:

Light weight (the vehicle had to be airmobile and deployable by parachutes, although the second requirement was dropped later)
High mobility
Light protection (mostly against enemy autocannons)
Sufficient firepower to fight off enemy tanks (in other words, a MBT-class cannon)
The use existing technologies (not necessarily the best of the best)

The last point was, in a way, a reflection of the Abrams approach. Instead of a hyper-expensive program that would use 100 percent cutting edge technology but end in failure, the U.S. Army wanted something that would be slightly lower tech but considerably more affordable.

The Griffin met those requirements on paper. It was built around another property of the GDLS Corporation – the Ajax platform – with an aluminum turret on top using the same layout and internals as the M1A2 SEP v2 Abrams turret (in order to minimize training requirements) and featuring an experimental 120mm smoothbore gun called XM360.

You might remember the XM360 cannon from our article series about the Abrams MBT – it was basically an attempt to build a gun with similar dimensions and general performance to the already used M256 120mm smoothbore, but lighter and with higher barrel pressure, allowing it to fire more powerful kinetic rounds. The gun was developed during the FCS program with a variant called XM360E1 built specifically to be retrofitted to the Abrams.

The gun was built and tested but never produced en masse, even though the program is still going and it is expected for this gun (or its variant) to appear on a future Abrams variant (unofficially but commonly referred to by press as M1A3). Its abilities also include firing guided ammunition (XM1111) at the distance of up to 13 kilometers.

It’s worth noting that GDLS declared the Griffin to be capable of also carrying a 105mm gun, which would make for a less powerful but, at the same time, much more affordable solution. Interestingly enough, due to the advanced components used in the abovementioned XM360 gun, the 105mm variant would actually weigh more.

The whole thing weighed some 27 tons and was declared to be deployable by parachutes from a C-17 Globemaster III. If you are wondering how something so big can weight so little, it will not surprise you to hear that the vehicle offered protection from small arms only. Additional armor and an APS would make it heavier, of course.

In any case, the whole show seems to have had an effect with the U.S. Army procurement mechanisms awaking from their deep slumber. In 2017, the MPF requirements were refined and amended further, as such:

The vehicle has to weigh between 25 and 35 tons
The vehicle has to carry at least a 105mm gun
Its armor should protect the crew from 30mm autocannons with additional protection ensured by advanced APS
The vehicle must have top-of-the-line sensors to ensure its first strike capability
A single C-17 plane has to be able to carry two of these vehicles

The parachute deployment requirement was, however, dropped.

The U.S. Army was expected to start issuing actual prototype contracts for this program by 2020 but as it turned out, they’ve been in touch with BAE Systems (responsible for the M8 Thunderbolt) and General Dynamics with their Griffin. A contract for 12 prototypes to be delivered between 2019 and 2020 was signed with both companies with the winner to be decided in 2022 and the first of the 500 planned production vehicles being available between 2024 and 2025.

But that’s not there is to the Griffin.

You see, MPF is not the only U.S. Army armor program currently running. They are looking for a Bradley replacement as well as a part of the Optionally-Manned Fighting Vehicle program. As its name suggests, the goal is to find the next IFV with some robotized capabilities.

This program is quite complicated because, unlike the MFP where a domestic solution exists (sort of) in the form of the M8 Thunderbolt, there are no suitable domestic candidates for the OMFV platform – unless developed from scratch in the U.S.A., the platform would have to come from abroad. The program is being also pushed hard by the military – originally, the Bradley replacement would enter service in 2032 but these goals have changed as such:

2023 – declaration of the OMFV program winner
2026 – the OMFV vehicle enter service

All in all, the program’s goal is to replace all 1600 or so active Bradleys as well some Abrams tanks that are currently attached to the Armored Brigade Combat Team units. The requirements are roughly as follows:

The vehicle has to weigh 41.5 tons at most (in order to fit into a C-17 and for it to carry from the U.S. to Europe)
Two man crew (optional, remote control at 1500 (at least) to 3000 (ideally) meters is a requirement)
Advanced sensors and communications equipment, including third generation FLIR sensors
The ability to carry at least 5 troops and enough ammo and other equipment to operate for 72-96 hours
Excellent main gun elevation and the presence of a RCWS in order to optimize the vehicle for urban combat, each weapon system must be able to engage a separate target independently
Sufficient capacity for future modernizations

As you can see, building such a vehicle will be no small feat.

Nevertheless, one of the vehicles mentioned in connection with this program was a modified Griffin called Griffin III.

This vehicle first appeared in 2018 – two years later after the original Griffin, once again during the AUSA conference and, once again, as a technology demonstrator.

The whole vehicle weighed “less than 40 tons” and was, once again, only lightly protected, but what made it really interesting was its two-man experimental General Dynamics turret co-developed with ARDEC and armed with a 50mm XM913 Bushmaster chain gun by Orbital ATK.

The maximum elevation of the gun was 85 degrees with the depression being -20 degrees, allowing for some excellent urban combat capabilities and the ability to hit targets hiding in tall buildings as well as low-flying targets such as ground support planes, helicopters and drones. The gun can fire different types of ammunition, including programmable HE. The 30mm XM813 cannon was mentioned as an alternative armament.

The vehicle protection was enhanced by the presence of a laser-warning system, an Israeli Iron Fist hard-kill APS as well as with a next generation Tacticam camouflage system by Armorworks. This camouflage is special by not only concealing the vehicle visually, but also thermally (veiling its heat trace) and acoustically (making it quieter). The fuel tanks (located outside of the main hull) are self-sealing.

The vehicle also carried a suicide drone container and cutting edge MX-GCS sights by L3 WESCAM as well as some truly remarkably sensitive sensors, allowing the on-board computer to detect even sniper fire (and where it is coming from).

The Griffin could carry six troops alongside its two-man crew – only two men were required due to the use of a “robotic assistant” that could, for example, automatically aim the gun in the direction of incoming fire.

It was powered by a conventional Ajax engine (MTU 8V199 V8 supercharged diesel producing 800hp). Maximum speed was, of course, theoretical, as this was a demonstrator only, but likely would be around 70 km/h. The suspension was based on the Ajax one – only shorter with six roadwheels instead of seven.

The vehicle was received positively but its current status is unknown – whether it will pass the MFP trials remains to be seen.

One thing’s for sure, though – you’ll get the chance to drive the Griffin in Armored Warfare. This formidable advanced platform has much to offer. Since it started in 2016 as a Light Tank, introducing it as one is definitely an option. Or perhaps a heavy Marder-like AFV with a powerful 50mm autocannon? Let us know on Discord which variant you would like to see and what special properties would you give it!

There’s definitely a lot to choose from – an advanced counter-fire system? Some AI-assisted features? That high-tech camouflage from the 2018 model? We’re open to your suggestions and will definitely update you on our progress as we work on the vehicle itself – or, vehicles.

And as for those who would find this vehicle a bit too mundane for their taste – don’t worry, we’re just getting started. We can promise you a lot of excitement by the time the line is fully unveiled.

See you on the battlefield!