On Thursday, April 2, 2026, a video was published on the German Rheinmetall AG group’s YouTube channel about the infantry fighting vehicle based on the latest KF41 Lynx platform that its U.S. subsidiary, American Rheinmetall Vehicles, has offered under the U.S. Army’s XM30 MICV (Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle) program.
Image: Rheinmetall AG
It is worth noting that in the program, originally designated OMFV (Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle), intended to replace the M2/M3 Bradley infantry fighting/reconnaissance vehicles, two bids were shortlisted on June 26, 2023:
- General Dynamics Land Systems with the Griffin III;
- the Team Lynx consortium led by American Rheinmetall Vehicles (together with Raytheon Technologies, L3Harris Technologies, Textron Systems, Allison Transmission, and Anduril Industries) with the Lynx XM30.
Unlike the baseline KF41 Lynx, which has been delivered to Hungary, Italy, and Ukraine, the vehicle offered to the United States will receive a new unmanned turret system armed with the 50 mm Northrop Grumman XM913 Bushmaster automatic cannon, an advanced hull design with a two-man crew seated side by side behind the powerpack (enabled by automation and artificial intelligence, effectively serving as a virtual third crew member), each with three large liquid-crystal displays, possibly touchscreen. It will also feature a mobile and durable chassis, integrated active protection systems (APS), and a modular open systems architecture.
Additional armament is to include a universal Multi-Mission Launcher for anti-tank guided missiles and Anduril Industries loitering munitions, as well as a remotely operated weapon station with an M2HB 12.7 mm machine gun. The video did not indicate whether a 7.62 mm machine gun will be coaxially mounted with the main gun.
The vehicle will receive a fire-control system being developed by L3Harris Technologies, supported by 3rd-generation WESCAM MX-GCS B multispectral electro-optical sights for the commander and gunner, in line with the U.S. Army’s Ground Combat Systems Common Infrastructure Architecture (GCIA). It will also receive Anduril Industries’ Common Tactical Picture situational-awareness architecture.
The dismount team is to consist of six soldiers, and the crew is expected to be able to cooperate with unmanned ground vehicles being procured under the Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program, such as the Textron Systems Ripsaw M5. The powertrain is to be hybrid, using the Allison eGen Force Transmission drivetrain. In addition, in accordance with requirements, the vehicle is to be optionally unmanned and capable of operating autonomously.
As for the current status of the XM30 MICV program, 386 million USD has been allocated in the current fiscal year for prototype construction and integration. Meanwhile, the government’s draft FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes a plan to procure 19 pre-production vehicles for 547 million USD, although that odd number is surprising in the case of two competitors, especially since the selection of one of them is not expected before the first quarter of fiscal year 2028, that is, the last quarter of calendar year 2027.
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