Yeah. I think General Dynamics is back! They're coming out with a nice booth setup at AUSA, and they look like they're ready to get back in game with new innovations.
That's good to see.
What do I want going forward? First they need to get some people that can read and interpret contracts going forward. The performance for the Australian Combat Recon Vehicle contest while disappointing is understandable. They read what I did. The Aussies specified an off the shelf solution. The problem was they failed to interpret it correctly and they didn't read between the lines (I didn't either). The off the shelf part was fuzzy as hell...so while in my mind their solution fit the bill for the contest, the customer was looking for a bit more.
Next they need to let it fly and stop playing it close to the vest. Let's be clear. For the US Army's Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle, they have a chance to blow the doors off if they get bold.
What do I mean? It hurts to say it but follow the Chinese lead in their light tank development. That means tossing the idea of an ASCOD II with a 120mm turret attached. What they need to do is to work out a "mini" M1A2. Take that beast and simply scale it down to a medium/light setup and they have a winner. Two of their competitors are putting turrets on APC/IFV chassis. The third is rolling out a design from the 80's.
That program is setup for a wild card entry to win it all. General Dynamics needs to win the day by getting out of their crouch and attacking forward.
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