BAE Systems Pitches Eco-Friendly Tank to U.S. Army

For more than a decade, the Army’s been in the market to replace its Cold War-era M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the 33-ton tank first put into service in 1981. It hasn’t been easy. Although it’s showing its age, the Bradley is still considered a reliable workhorse. A new one would have to be a significant improvement to justify the estimated $32 billion it will cost to develop and build. Now BAE Systems, the British defense giant that manufactured the Bradley, is betting it’s found a design that will win over the Pentagon and the public: the world’s first green tank.

The proposed hybrid-electric vehicle, which exists only on paper, would have some advantages over the Bradley: a bigger gun, stronger armor, and room for a dozen troops inside, up from nine. Like the Toyota Prius and General Motors’ Chevy Volt, it could operate on conventional fuel or electric power, and its lithium-ion batteries would recharge when the vehicle braked. BAE says the propulsion system—similar to those used in some tractors and heavy-duty trucks—would have fewer moving parts, better gas mileage, and faster acceleration than a conventional diesel engine. “Fuel efficiency is a significant contributor to what makes the hybrid desirable,” says Mark Signorelli, the company’s vice president and general manager of vehicle systems.