General Dynamics Griffin

General Dynamics Griffin History

The

Griffin III is a front-line candidate for the U.S. Army's Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) program, which is looking for a successor to the legendary, albeit aging Bradley Fighting Vehicle line.

It was developed by General Dynamics, a proven industry player in the field of armored warfare, and is expected to compete with two other major competing designs, one from Germany's Rheinmetall through its "Lynx KF" company and BAe Systems (Sweden) and their advertised CV90 platform (detailed elsewhere on this site).

While serving in the U.S. Army, the Griffin III served in the primary role of providing mobility support to its brigade combat team, rotating between offensive and defensive duties as needed.

Recent operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria have somewhat rewritten the role of armored warfare doctrinemany militaries are adjusting near-term inventories to the new environment, which is very different from what they experienced during the Cold War. 1947-1991).

The original 2016 Griffin model showed the 120mm main weapon. Since then, the 2018 Griffin III model has been further developed with a 50mm automatic cannon as standard armament.

The Griffin is a 40-ton vehicle classified as a light tank by some sources, with characteristics more similar to an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (ICV) or Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), aiming to be highly modular , focusing on a single design playing too many roles on the battlefield. In theory, this could reduce production and procurement costs, simplify long-term logistics, and allow a single chassis to be used as the framework for other types of vehicles, while remaining somewhat "future-proof" when new technologies emerge: the vehicle's interior and exterior Components can be modified to meet the customer's battlefield requirements.

In this way, a single example can be equipped to cover different roles - namely, protected battlefield ambulance, command and control (C2) and armored rescue vehicle (ARV).

The Griffin III's turret (manned or unmanned) will carry a 50mm automatic cannon with digital controls for precise in-flight firing and target identification and tracking. The main gun has an elevation range of +85/-20 degrees, and the former is better at hitting high-altitude targets - especially in urban or mountainous environments. Like the hull, the turret is designed to be modular in nature to accommodate a variety of existing (and future) combat systems and components, allowing the vehicle to adapt to current battlefield needs. There is an active/passive protection system (mainly in the form of the Israeli-developed "Iron Fist" Active Protection System or "APS") and inherently advanced crew situational awareness to improve survivability against anti-tank missiles (ATGMs). And rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).

The autoloader will be used to automatically manage the ammunition supply for the main gun, which includes a standard combination of HE (High Explosive) and AP (Armor Piercing) rounds. Up to six infantrymen were protected in the rear fighting compartment (in addition to the three task forces - driver, commander and gunner).

Also mentioned is an optional remote-controlled 12.7mm heavy machine on top of the turret, whose traverse is independent of the current orientation of the turret.

The example shown in October 2018 is a traditional design arrangement with a basic hull shape and a turret at the top center of the hull. The driver sits in front of the left, with the power pack to his right. The turret targets its 50mm XM913 automatic cannon from the frontal center spanned by various protected sensors and systems.

Smoke grenade launchers are visible because of their inherent self-shielding capabilities. The drive gear consists of six dual tire road wheels on one side of the body, with the drive sprocket at the front and the idler at the rear.

The show car (called the Tech Demonstration Vehicle) has no side armor. Track links are wide for good ground pressure.

Externally, the vehicle is covered with a special "skin" to further reduce its radar signature, making it a curious ATGM weapon. Day/night vision capabilities will become standard for operation in all types of lighting environments. Due to its compact form and lightweight state, the Griffin III will be suitable for air transport.

With its 40-ton list weight, a 10-ton payload will come into play, with an emphasis on the modular aspect of the tank.

Like the German Lynx KF, ??the Griffin III will have full drone launch support for a variety of battlefield missions, including jamming communications, reconnaissance and suicide strikes against hidden enemy elements.

The basic hull design of the Griffin III is based on the British Army's "AJAX" (formerly "Scout SV") system, which is described elsewhere on this page. Griffin III faces stiff competition from CV90 and Lynx KF, ??but has the advantage of a relatively new and proven framework based on Ajax offerings. The Griffin III is also the only to-be-developed standard weapon with a 50mm primary weapon - one the US Army is developing for its next-generation ICV/IFV - which will make it more effective than Russia's new-generation Lending IFV and heavy APC online.

Heavy IFVs are becoming the future, further blurring the lines between main battle tanks (MBTs) and IFVs.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Depends on primary weapon coordination.

2,000x7.62mm ammo.

12 to 18 smoke grenades.

Changes