The U.S. Army recently signed a contract to purchase nearly 100 light tanks . However, in the contract, the U.S. Army did not call these new equipment " tanks ", but used "Mobile Protected Fire Vehicles MPF" This term is used to call it.
It's unfair to the actual tank equipment when there is always a tendency to refer to a Humvee, Bradley Fighting Vehicle or Paladin self-propelled howitzer as a tank. But the MPF does look like a real tank. This is also the main basis for the outside world to call it a "light tank".
MPF is manufactured by General Dynamics. This is a tracked armored vehicle. Its weapons include a 105mm main gun, a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun and an external 12.7mm caliber machine gun. Compared with the M1 Abrams main battle tank, which weighs more than 70 tons, the MPF has a total combat weight of about 38 tons.
Also because the MPF is lighter than the M1 tank, it can even load two vehicles onto a C-17A strategic transport aircraft, doubling its strategic mobility. The emergence of the MPF actually inherits the position of a light tank that was in service with the US military in its early years, namely the nearly 17-ton M551 Sheridan light tank. This equipment is very light and can be driven by a C-130 tactical transport aircraft and can also be airdropped.
After the M551 was retired, the U.S. Army used the Stryker mobile artillery system to fill the gap left after the Sheridan light tank was retired 25 years ago. However, during actual use, the U.S. Army discovered that this equipment Performance is mediocre. In May 2021, the Stryker mobile artillery system was rated "outdated" in a U.S. Army review.
So now the problem arises. Although the MPF is used to fill the vacancy of the M551; in actual use, it is exactly like a tank. So what exactly is it a tank for? Or other types of combat vehicles? As early as 2019, according to an Army Times article, the term "light tank" was always placed in quotes when describing the MPF.
The article at the time noted: "The U.S. infantry will be closer to acquiring a 'light tank' that will increase the firepower of their formations without slowing down their march."
and the author of the article, U.S. Army Ground The combat system executive said: "We have not placed "tank" equipment in light infantry units for a long time."
So why is the MPF clearly a "light tank" in terms of appearance and combat capabilities, but the US Army is unwilling How to call it that? Lieutenant Colonel Ben Ferguson and Captain Leonard Salcedo from the U.S. Army solved the mystery of this contradictory name in an article in the Association of the U.S. Army in December 2021.
Two soldiers interviewed said: "The MPF was initially called a light tank, but Army officials decided to name the new concept Mobile Protected Fire (MPF); this was to prevent service members from viewing it as similar to a tank. vehicle, and then use it in the same manner as the M1 Abrams main battle tank (MBT).” The article
stated that although the MPF looks a lot like a tank, it is not meant to have the same characteristics as the M1 Abrams. The same mission as the Sri Lankan main battle tank. The main task of the tank armor formation is to be used as a battering ram to crush the enemy's defense lines. On top of that, main battle tanks can also destroy enemy armor.
But the MPF has no such mission. The MPF was not designed to engage enemy tanks. As part of an IBCT [Infantry Brigade Combat Team] formation, the MPF is designed to provide direct fire to attack/destroy fortified targets typically faced by infantry such as bunkers. In fact, if you look closely at the name of the MPF, you can know its mission: a mobile platform that provides protected firepower for infantry.
The U.S. Army began purchasing the MPF at a time when the reputation of tanks in general was taking a hit. Meanwhile, the U.S. Marine Corps deactivated its last active main battle tank battalion last year as part of a massive reorganization effort to make the force light and nimble enough to handle modern island-hopping campaigns. .The large M1 Abrams tank proved too heavy for the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Advanced Base Combat Concept.
For the US Army, the excessive weight of the M1 tank also limits its combat area. In many complex terrains, it is very difficult for M1 tanks up to 70 tons to pass. The battles in these areas require fire support from tanks. This is very suitable for MPF. If the MPF fights against the enemy's main battle tank, it has no advantage. It is best to use tanks to deal with tanks, rather than other so-called light main battle equipment.
