Divergent Procurement practices

Two superficially unrelated posts on StrategyPage point to a burgeoning divergence in US-Israeli armor development. The first piece of news is the delivery of Nemer IFVs to the Israeli army. These vehicles (basically old Merkavas sans turrets) offer roughly the same degree of protection as an MBT, and at 44 tons they are substantially heavily than your average IFV. StrategyPage reports that the development of the Nemer was motivated by the belief that Israel will continue to fight in urban environments. That may be true, but the firepower of Hezbollah may have also convinced the IDF that now was not the time to be skimping on armor protection. The ability to convert obsolete tanks also cuts down on R&D costs, so it's a win-win. The Nemer was tested against the Stryker system, but the added tactical mobility of the ICV was not enough to compensate for the additional security of the topless Merkava.

Meanwhile, development on the FCS-based successor to the M1 Abrams continues to chug along. You'll notice that the StrategyPage update focuses on the development of the 120mm cannon and studiously avoids tackling the real developmental challenges to a thirty ton MBT (as if gun recoil was the primary issue!). Even with the advances in weight-saving Explosive Reactive Armor and its smarter cousin Active Protection Systems, it will be tough to provide all-around protection to a future MBT.

According to Jane's (sorry, hardcopy catalogue), the IDF successfully tested its TROPHY active protection system on the Stryker, but decided to go with the Nemer anyway. Even with the additional protection of TROPHY (which is much further along than any comparable US system), the IDF still opted for the platform with the heavier traditional armor. Given the recent Israeli combat experience, this decision should be carefully assessed (instead of running obviously contrived hypothetical FCS brigade simulations in Lebanon) on its merits. Clearly, the Israeli are concerned with the proliferation of EFPs, IEDs, and advanced man-portable missiles. Even the M1 has shown weaknesses in the face of such threats, an oversight the Army has attempted to rectify with its Tank Urban Survival Kit (TUSK) upgrade. A lighter MBT would provide much needed operational mobility, but unless the DARPA boys have an ace up their sleeve, a half-weight tank won't be matching M1 protection anytime soon. So the IDF will keep bulking up and the DoD will keep trying to slim down.