The Griffin III is a frontline contender for the United States Army's Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) program which seeks a successor to the storied, though aging, line of Bradley fighting vehicles. it is being developed by General Dynamics, a proven industry player in the field of armored warfare, and will presumably go head-to-head against two other primary competing designs, one from Rheinmetall of Germany through its "Lynx KF" endeavor and BAe Systems (Sweden) and their promoted CV90 platform (both detailed elsewhere on this site).
In U.S. Army service, the Griffin III would fulfill the primary role of mobile support for its brigade-level combat teams, bouncing between offensive and defensive duties as needed. Recent combat actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria have rewritten the roles of armored warfare doctrine to an extent - and many armies are gearing their near-future inventories to meet the new environment, one that is very different from what was evolved during the Cold War period (1947-1991).
The original Griffin model of 2016 was shown with a 120mm main armament. The Griffin III model of 2018 has since been evolved with a 50mm autocannon as standard armament.
The Griffin is a 40-ton vehicle, classified in some sources as a light tank, has qualities more akin to an Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) or Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) centered on high modularity for having a single design fulfilling a plethora of battlefield roles. On paper this makes for lower production and procurement costs, eases long-term logistics, and allows for a single chassis to be used to form the framework of other vehicle types while also ensuring some level of "future-proofing" as new technologies become available: both the internal and external portions of the vehicle will be changeable to suit the customer's battlefield requirement. In this way, a single example can be outfitted to cover various roles - namely protected battlefield ambulance, Command and Control (C2), and Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV).
The example showcased in October of 2018 was of conventional design arrangement with basic hull shape and turret set over the middle of the hull roof. The driver has a position at front-left with the powerpack to his right. The turret fields its 50mm XM913 autocannon from the center of its frontal face, straddled by various protected sensors and systems. Smoke grenade dischargers are visible for an inherent self-screening capability. The drive gear includes six double-tired roadwheels to a hull side with the drive sprocket at front and the track idler at rear. No skirt side armor was present on this showcase vehicle (described as a technology demonstrator). The track-link sections are wide for good ground pressure.
Externally, the vehicle is coated in a special "skin" to further reduce its radar signature to prying ATGM weaponry. Day/night vision capability will be standard for operating in all types of light level environments. Due to its compact form and lightweight status, the Griffin III would be capable of air-transportation. With its 40-ton listed weight, there would be 10-tons of payload play centered on the modularity aspects of the tank.
Like the German Lynx KF, the Griffin III will have full support of UAV launching to accomplish various battlefield tasks including communications jamming, reconnaissance, and suicidal attacks of hidden enemy elements.
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Specifications
General Dynamics Land Systems - USA Manufacturer(s)
INFANTRY SUPPORT
Support allied ground forces through weapons, inherent capabilities, and / or onboard systems.
RECONNAISSANCE
Can conduct reconnaissance / scout missions to assess threat levels, enemy strength, et al - typically through lightweight design.
SPECIAL PURPOSE
Special purpose design developed to accomplish an equally-special battlefield role or roles.
21.3 ft (6.5 meters) Length
11.5 ft (3.5 meters) Width
10.5 ft (3.2 meters) Height
55,997 lb (25,400 kg) Weight
28.0 tons (Medium-class) Tonnage
1 x Diesel engine developing up to 800 horsepower to track-and-wheel arrangement. Drive System
43 mph (70 kph) Road Speed
311 miles (500 km) Road Range
1 x 50mm XM913 autocannon OR 120mm main gun in turret.
1 x 7.62mm coaxial machine gun in turret.
12 - to 18 x Smoke Grenade Dischargers.
OPTIONAL:
1 x 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) in remote-controlled weapon installation on turret roof.
Assumed support for the launching of Anti-Tank Guided-Missiles (ATGMs) in future revision.
AMMUNITION
Dependent upon main armament fit.
2,000 x 7.62mm ammunition (estimated).
12 to 18 x Smoke grenades.
Griffin - Base Series Name; model of 2016; 1 x 120mm main gun.
Griffin III - Model of 2018; 50mm autocannon as main aramment; can carry complement of six troops in fighting compartment.
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