DARPA awards Ground X-Vehicle Technology contracts as it swaps agility for armor

The days of tanks as giant steel behemoths may be numbered with DARPA awarding eight development contracts for its Ground X-Vehicle Technology (GXV-T) program. The awards to Carnegie Mellon University, Honeywell International, Leido, Pratt & Miller, QinetiQ, Raytheon BBN, Southwest Research Institute and SRI International are aimed at creating a smarter, faster generation of armored vehicle that replaces steel with speed and agility.

DARPA says the latests contracts focus on developing technology in four areas for the wheeled combat machine: radically enhanced mobility, survivability through agility, crew augmentation, and signature management.

DARPA awards Ground X-Vehicle Technology contracts as it swaps agility for armor

I thought these recent DARPA contract awards might be a news story worth discussing. Vehicle design is a big hobby of mine, and I recently discovered this project while surfing the web. It looks like it's been around since 2014 or so. I'm curious to see what might shake out from it as it pertains to vehicle engineering and design.

An Army Times piece:
www.armytimes.com...

Terms of the early-stage research contracts weren’t disclosed. A 2014 solicitation offers up to $27.4 million for “Technology Development” over two years.

The groups will help tackle four key technological goals, according to the Tuesday release announcing the contracts:

The ability to traverse 95 percent of all terrain, including high slopes and uneven ground.

etc.
I think it's money well spent, in terms of what we can do to improve our military equipment. Ground transport is a big part of warfare. A little money spent on the right developments here and there could save a lot of lives in future conflicts.

I'm firmly non-interventionist in how I think foreign policy should be approached. That being said, I think having quality equipment is a very important part of fielding an effective fighting force. Having a technological advantage over your enemy can mean the difference between victory and defeat, so we will do well to stay ahead of the technological curve militarily in my opinion.

I also created a thread on the project in the Military Projects Forum, so for more detailed information on the project you might want to also check there.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

I guess these will only be used against civilians, with nice big wheels and tyres to lessen the crunching feeling as they run over them.

Duplicate. Please comment to the extant thread located here.