PROCUREMENT MESS: Inside the XM30 program: The Army’s Bradley replacement. “After four decades of failed replacement attempts, the Army’s XM30 program is the closest it has come to retiring the Bradley, but challenges remain.”

The first major effort, Armored Systems Modernization, aimed to build a series of new vehicles across shared chassis designs. The program collapsed in 1992 when the Cold War ended and costs ballooned.

Future Combat Systems (FCS) followed in 2003, promising a fleet of networked, lightweight vehicles. Billions of dollars later, none could withstand the realities of Iraq and Afghanistan, where improvised explosive devices and RPGs shredded light armor. FCS was canceled in 2009.

The Ground Combat Vehicle effort launched soon after, promising a heavily armored troop carrier for a new era of mechanized warfare. But the prototypes were so heavy they barely fit on a C-17 and were more expensive than an Abrams. It lasted until 2014.

The Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, born in 2018 under the broader Next Generation Combat Vehicle initiative, suffered its own false start when no contractors could meet the Army’s requirements. It was reset in 2020 with a more flexible acquisition strategy and renamed XM30 in 2023.

Today, the XM30 is the closest any program has come to crossing the finish line.

After four decades, maybe we should just skip ahead to starship troopers.