The Army, clearly, still has noone in charge of NGCV so the contractor makes excuses for his confused client. as stated earlier one lead for NGCV at TARDEC because they will anyway in the end. TARDEC is a too GD dominated place, the Army needs to take on a new 'Government based design' based on the "Army Strategy " which depicts the classes of vehicles needed to be finally be integrated by a series of contractors (held to final system account). A new vehicle basis which weighs closer to 20tons not Griffin (a 40tn Ajax) able to fit different bodies and guns up to 155mm direct/indirect fire guns.
Hopefully, the Army saying 'power plant agnostic' is some glimmer, as clearly there still is no powerplant solution as current hybrids are a still a step backwards. Energy density for batteries is bad juju need Fuel directly to electricity w/ an efficient engine.
The Dismount community has a basic issue. When is the Army going to risk and spread the contractors on unmanned systems which can enable standoff at all levels down to the individual dismount (including largely replacing the dismount). Depending on the current UAS contractors and Google/BD for bipedal robots is a USG developmental funnel which is National Security Threat, Strait up, Full Stop.
The Army is likely a mistake (if true) by abandoning the 9xpax vehicle. 9apax does not make height. The Griffin III is a house on tracks just like GCV was. Questionable marketing going on there. (Why is SpecOps person talking for close conventional.) There is already the UD look at lengthening the Bradley. It is not about height but length. Nine dismounts is necessary to dominate in close urban squad fights. Two vehicles splits and risks to two vehicles. Like football team starting from two separate places on the field, basic.
The 50mm might be good at countering Swarm UAS but RDEC has shown 60mm would be even better as CRAM and counter uas at range, assured kill. 55mm supershot comes to mind. (The Army would be foolish to go back to 30mm.) Likewise, storing suicide UASs (expensive toy garbage) inside the turret would take up precision turret volume. Armed VTOLs have not matured enough to be matched to a vehicle anytime soon.
