US experts adopt Ukraine’s military experience to keep its weapons up to date

Defense Express information and consulting company writes about this.

The report notes that the US military leadership should take into account the experience of today's battles in Ukraine in the development of two of its key vehicles - the upgrades of the Abrams main battle tank and the Bradley fighting vehicle - and if they fail to draw the right conclusions and build the right direction for the development of these vehicles, the US will eventually risk investing billions of dollars in weapons that will arrive on the battlefield already “dead."

As Brigadier General Geoffrey Norman, director of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross Functional Team, tells Breaking Defense, the Army is currently focused on one of the key threats to ground vehicles - FPV drones - with a team of technical specialists in Eastern Europe working on the threat.

The outlet emphasizes that it is not located in Ukraine, but has regular contacts with Ukrainian tankers to better understand how certain vehicles are used on a complex battlefield today, as well as to monitor threats from the sky, ground, etc.

“These ideas will contribute to our understanding,” Norman said, emphasizing the development of the Abrams and Bradley replacement.

"The following historical parallel also comes to mind: more than two decades ago, the US military was not prepared for the emergence of improvised explosive devices littering the roads in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then had to solve the problem as quickly as possible. Today, the problem is attacks from above," Defense Express noted. 

Norman emphasizes that while the Abram is well-protected against direct fire threats, the same cannot be said for “overhead” attacks.

“The Abrams, like any main battle tank, is most effective when it can be used on the offensive, or in a situation where they have the ability to move,” Norman said, noting that “when they stay stationary, they become vulnerable to any threat.”

“The general does not disclose details in the context of thinking about replacing Abrams tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, but notes that there are certain general goals, primarily the search for effective topside protection, active defense systems, laser devices, etc. The service also relies on a modular open architecture so that the vehicle can be adapted to constantly changing and evolving threats in a short time,” Defense Express states.