In the late 1990s, the United States Army recognized that its armored forces needed more than just the mighty M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank (MBT), which was introduced in 1980. Big Green needed more—something lighter and more maneuverable that had greater flexibility in terms of its deployment.

Enter the XM1202 Mounted Combat System (MCS)—an ambitious project initiated as part of the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program that was meant to completely reorganize the Army along the lines of an entirely new way of war meant for the post-Cold War era.

But, like much of the rest of the FCS, the XM1202 was ultimately canceled, leaving a gaping hole in both the capabilities and budget of the Army. 

The History of the XM1202 Tank 

Back when the system was first conceived, the U.S. Army was at the apex of its power—and experiencing a radical transition from the kind of warfare that defined the Cold War era to the speed, rapid deployment, and information dominance over traditional heavy armor. 

In 1999, then-Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki spearheaded the FCS program, envisioning an entire family of lighter, networked, and highly mobile vehicles. The XM1202 MCS was the main pillar of this system of “Manned Ground Vehicles” (MGV). It was intended to ultimately replace the heavier and therefore slower M1 Abrams MBT.

XM1202 was intended to be air-transportable, capable of fitting two units in a C-17 Globemaster transport plane or one in a C-130 Hercules transport,........

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