AUSA 2022: GDLS unveils hybrid electric AbramsX and StrykerX

Shown here is the AbramsX technology demonstrator at the AUSA conference. (GDLS)

General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) is using the Association of the US Army (AUSA) 2022 conference to formally unveil its initial vision for a next-generation Abrams main battle tank (MBT) and Stryker vehicle, respectively, dubbed AbramsX and StrykerX.

Company officials provided Janes with a tech preview ahead of the annual conference in Washington, DC, that runs from 10 to 12 October. The company is displaying four full-up ‘technology demonstrators' on the show floor – the AbramsX, the StrykerX, the Stryker Leonidas (a high-power microwave capability), and the Tracked Robot 10-ton (TRX) breacher.

“These are full-up vehicles that demonstrate technology. They're not ready for competition,” Tim Reese, the GDLS director for US business development, said during a 29 September interview.

“They're not a ready prototype. There's no programme of record that we're going to enter this into,” he added about the tech demonstrators. “We're trying to say to the army, US Marines, and other customers – ‘Here'swhat we think we can do on either your enduring fleets like Abrams and Stryker, or on new requirements.'”

The hybrid electric AbramsX and StrykerX are two of the platforms expected to garner fanfare as the army moves towards reduced vehicle emissions. For example, the company noted that the AbramsX will use 50% less fuel than the M1A2 Abrams, and provide soldiers with a silent watch capability.

“With a reduced crew size and artificial intelligence-enabled lethality, survivability, mobility, manned/unmanned teaming (MUM-T), and autonomous capabilities, AbramsX can be a key node in lethal battlefield networks and serve as a bridge from Abrams SEPv3 and SEPv4 to a future tank,” the company said in a fact sheet.