American Rheinmetall delivered its first Lynx prototype on September 1, while General Dynamics delivered its first Wolf vehicle at the end of August. Additional prototypes from both companies are expected to support testing scheduled to begin this fall, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
The 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, is expected to become the first Army formation to operate the XM30. The division is due to receive two platoons of XM30 prototypes and one platoon of M1E3 Abrams tanks by the end of 2026.
Soldiers will test the vehicles before taking them to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. The operational evaluation is expected to run through March 2027 and will place the XM-30s in realistic combat training conditions.
The Army Test and Evaluation Command is expected to work alongside the division and monitor assessments from the soldiers operating the vehicles. Their feedback will be passed to engineers to support what the report described as “minor adjustments” to the competing designs.
The testing will mark a central stage in the Army’s latest attempt to replace the Bradley, which has been in service since 1981. The vehicle has undergone repeated upgrades, but the Army considers its ability to accommodate additional electronics, armor and defensive systems to be near its technological limits.
The Army awarded General Dynamics and American Rheinmetall contracts worth a combined $1.6 billion in June 2023. The agreements cover detailed design, prototype construction and testing, with both companies competing for the production contract.
The XM-30 is being designed to carry infantry into close combat and provide firepower against enemy forces and armored vehicles. It is also intended to operate either with a crew or under remote control without soldiers inside.
The vehicle will use a modular open-systems architecture based on an Army-owned standard. The approach is intended to support faster modernization, reduce upgrade costs and preserve competition among equipment and software suppliers throughout the XM30’s service life.
The Army is expected to select the winning design in fiscal 2027 after testing and evaluating both competitors. The first production vehicles are currently scheduled to enter service in fiscal 2029.
