The U.S. Army has announced a $107.8 million investment aimed at manufacturing and deploying advanced protection systems for its fleet of tracked combat vehicles. This initiative is designed to enhance vehicle survivability using next-generation defense technologies.
Filed under the Weapons and Tracked Combat Vehicles section of the U.S. Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, the project consists of three primary protection packages:
Modular laser-enabled active protection systems
Signature management technologies
Top-attack protection kits
These integrated systems are expected to significantly improve early threat detection, minimize thermal signatures, and provide passive armor enhancements to key structural points such as compartments and hatches, especially against aerial and overhead threats.
Reports indicate that no funding was allocated for these technologies in 2024 or 2025, signaling a strategic shift by the Army to counter rapidly evolving battlefield threats and modernize its ground fleet accordingly.
