General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) will give the defence industry its first full-scale look at its Wolf XM30 infantry fighting vehicle concept at AUSA 2026.
The company will display a one-eighth-scale model of the vehicle as it positions its design for the US Army programme to replace the M2 Bradley. GDLS will also use the Washington, D.C., exhibition to present new systems for loitering munitions, mobile air defence and counter-drone operations.
The Wolf XM30 is GDLS’ proposed vehicle for the Army’s next-generation infantry fighting vehicle requirement. Its primary mission is to transport infantry squads and cavalry scouts while providing protected mobility and direct fire support. GDLS says the design focuses on survivability, lethality, mobility, and fightability.
The vehicle is intended to carry soldiers to positions where they can conduct combat operations while remaining supported by the platform’s weapons and protection systems. This places the XM30 between a protected troop carrier and a heavily armed combat vehicle. Its development, therefore, centers on combining troop transport, battlefield mobility, and firepower in a single platform.
GDLS has incorporated the Army’s Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) into the XM30’s hardware and software architecture from the outset.
The approach is intended to make the platform easier to upgrade as new sensors, weapons and electronic systems become available. It also reduces dependence on a closed vehicle architecture during the platform’s service life.
Digital Architecture Drives Development
The XM30 programme also uses a digital thread across the vehicle’s development and sustainment cycle. GDLS says the digital design extends from engineering and verification into production, support and long-term sustainment. This links the vehicle’s design data with later stages of its lifecycle.
The approach is increasingly relevant to modern combat vehicles, where software and electronic systems can require upgrades faster than the underlying vehicle structure. An open architecture gives the Army greater flexibility to integrate new capabilities without redesigning the entire platform. GDLS is presenting this architecture as a core part of the XM30 design rather than an upgrade added later.
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The one-eighth-scale XM30 model will be displayed at GDLS booth 703 during AUSA 2026. The exhibition will also feature the company’s PERCH 2.0 loitering munition kit, M-SHORAD Increment 4 air-defence system and F600 Leonidas counter-unmanned aircraft system. Together, the exhibits cover several areas of current US Army modernisation, from armoured warfare to short-range air defence.
PERCH 2.0 Expands Effects
PERCH 2.0 will make its AUSA debut following an upgrade to GDLS’ Precision Effects & Reconnaissance, Canister-Housed technology.
AeroVironment developed the system, which is designed to integrate with M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks and Stryker vehicles. It uses Switchblade SB300 loitering munitions to provide surveillance and strike effects beyond the vehicle’s direct line of sight.
The system is designed to let crews detect and engage targets at extended ranges while remaining inside the vehicle. GDLS says crews can operate the launcher without opening their hatches. The company has also improved the reload process compared with PERCH 1.0.
GDLS said the changes incorporate lessons from the 2025 MARS demonstration. The system gives armored vehicle crews another way to locate and engage targets without relying solely on the vehicle’s organic weapons. Its integration with existing Abrams and Stryker platforms also supports deployment without introducing a separate combat vehicle.
Mobile Air Defence Expands
M-SHORAD Increment 4 will form another major part of the GDLS display. The company’s design uses a platform-agnostic architecture centred on a Self-Loading Equipment Dock (SLED). The architecture supports light, medium and heavy configurations equipped with different sensors and weapons on remote weapon stations.
The system is intended to provide defensive fires for the Army’s Mobile Brigade Combat Team. It can operate independently or connect to a wider network through Army command-and-control systems. The design gives units options for adapting the equipment to different operational requirements.
The F600 Leonidas provides a separate approach to counter-unmanned aircraft operations. GDLS has combined Epirus’ high-power microwave technology with a Ford F600 chassis modified for military use. The modifications include increased suspension capacity, a reinforced drivetrain and greater onboard power generation.
Leonidas is designed to integrate with the Army’s Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control system (FAAD C2). Its high-power microwave system is intended to defeat uncrewed aircraft by disrupting or damaging their electronic systems. The vehicle can also support effects beyond its directed-energy capability, including conventional kinetic systems.
Wolf Name Reflects Combat Role
GDLS also chose the name Wolf for its XM30 candidate. The company said it considered several names before choosing Wolf, linking it to how infantry units operate in squads. GDLS compared the vehicle’s intended role with a pack-based approach in which individual platforms operate as part of a larger fighting formation.
The company has discussed the naming decision in its WolfCast podcast. The XM30 model at AUSA will give many industry and military visitors the first opportunity to examine the complete GDLS design in physical form. The display comes as the US Army continues to shape the next generation of protected infantry combat vehicles.
For GDLS, the AUSA 2026 exhibition brings several parts of its future combat vehicle portfolio together in one display.
The Wolf XM30 represents its approach to the Bradley replacement, while PERCH 2.0, M-SHORAD Increment 4 and Leonidas address longer-range effects, air defence and counter-drone requirements. The systems on display will give the Army and defense industry a closer look at how GDLS is developing platforms and supporting technologies for the next phase of ground combat modernization.
