All forces face the question, “How will we fight in the future?” Recent conflicts have highlighted the rapidly changing nature of warfare, from the doctrinal to the tactical, due to quickly changing and accessible technologies combined with their imaginative but practical employment. In preparation for the International Armoured Vehicles Conference 2025, we have had the privilege of having Colonel Armin Dirks, Head of Operations of the Combined Project Team of Main Ground Combat System, share his thoughts on this question. As one of the leading figures in bringing the next generation's main battle tank into a reality, few people are in a better position to determine the future of armoured warfare. To answer the question of “How will we fight in the future?”, we have asked the following subset of questions:

• What are some of the everlasting challenges versus new challenges that forces face?
• Considering the trends we have seen on recent battlefields, are there any calls to rethink aspects of modern armoured warfare rather than simply evolving the thought behind it?
• Modern thought on armoured vehicle requirements has shifted from the “Iron Triangle” (Protection, Firepower, and Mobility) to the “Steel Hexagon” (Lethality, Autonomy, Adaptability, Connectivity, Survivability, and Mobility). What are your thoughts on the implications of this for capabilities?
  

While the battlefield is becoming more automated and robotic, discounting the human factor would be a mistake. While uncrewed technology has evolved rapidly, how we think of human-machine teaming (HMT) on the battlefield needs to catch up; otherwise, the technology will not reach its realised potential. To delve into this topic, the lead engineer at the UK’s Human-Machine Teaming Future Capability Innovation group, Nicholas Valentine, shares his thoughts. This whitepaper by Nicholas Valentine covers:

• The importance of the human aspect in HMT
• The role of understanding purpose in HMT
• The role of Robot Logic on the Battlefield
  

For the 25th annual International Armoured Vehicle Conference, we are expanding to an even bigger venue, the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre. This new and ample space permits us to take our vehicle exhibitions to the next level. The exhibition is, however, much more than a showing of the latest vehicles; it's an opportunity to understand how these platforms will answer the question, “How will we fight in the future?”

The importance of Active Protection Systems (APS) has only increased as threats to armour have evolved to the point where passive protection systems are not enough. New armour-penetrating technologies and techniques, which are more prevalent in near-peer conflicts, vehicle weight limitations, and the evolution of more efficient sensors and effectors have set APS systems to become mainstream. In this interview, we discuss the UK’s APS efforts with Tom Newbery CPhys from the Platform Survivability Group at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, the UK’s foremost defence research organisation. In this interview, we discuss:

• Trends in armoured vehicle survivability
• Challenges and opportunities in developing APS
• Implications for Industry and Forces
  

The International Armoured Vehicle Conference 2024 was arguably Defence IQ’s most ambitious to date. Over 100 speakers, 40 nations, 150 companies, and 1000 attendees gathered under one roof to discuss within the scope of armoured warfare: how will we fight in the future? Top-level programmes and military leaders worldwide presented the latest developments, trends, and objectives, while the industry brought forward its latest offerings and innovations. The conference also included wargaming exercises, interactive group sessions, and a vehicle pavilion, which allowed attendees to maximise their networking and opportunities. In this 2024 post-show report, we highlight some of the conference's most notable successes and summarise the events and presentations that took place.

The threat landscape surrounding armoured vehicles is evolving. With emerging technologies come new challenges, and land forces need to adapt accordingly to remain dominant on the 2035 battlefield. Ahead of International Armoured Vehicles 2019, Defence IQ surveyed senior executives and professionals within the armoured vehicle domain, including commercial and military. The results contained in this infographic provide:

• Insights into the 2035 operating environment and threat landscape
• Key future demands in armoured vehicles and growth markets
• The place of robotics and autonomous systems and what other technologies will be key
• The current main challenges the respondents are encountering

UGVs and Robotics continue to offer exiting potential for the future of land warfare. What was once science fiction is quickly become a battlefield reality. Propelled by advances in communication, machine learning, and artificial intelligence the battlefield will feature an increasingly rich mix of Robotic and Autonomous Systems. 

Countries featured in the report include: Australia, India, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, UK, and the U.S.

IAVC 2024 is dedicating an entire day to Uncrewed Systems, calling upon experts at the very cutting edge of the field to present and debate this rapidly upcoming future on Day Four of the programme.

The battlespace is increasingly complex and requires land forces to be flexible and have mobility while preserving their lethality, using systems that are more and more digitised. 

For the past 17 years, the International Armoured Vehicles has proven itself in the armoured vehicles community by providing the audience with A-list speaker and facilitating the discussion between the industry and the military. This exclusive interview with General David G. Perkins, Commanding General at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, provides insight into the next generation warfare and its implications on the procurement decisions and assets design for the land forces of tomorrow.

Land power is indispensable to achieve strategic objectives on the ground. The battlefield is changing and new threats and enemies are emerging, creating new procurement requirements and challenges for armed forces and the armoured vehicle community needs to adapt to this evolution. In this exclusive interview from this year's Chairman, Sir General Adrian Bradshaw, KCB, OBE, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (2014-2017), discover what he thinks of how armoured vehicles fit into the balance of land capabilities, how strategic trends are shaping future requirements and what tools the community has to adapt to a constantly changing battlefield.

In this exclusive article, Major General Engelbrektson, Chief of Staff of the Swedish Army, who will be present at the 2018 International Armoured Vehicles conference, offers us a privileged insight on the five areas Sweden is focusing on in order to remain relevant in an increasing threat context, from acknowledging the source of the threat to cooperating with other nations.