Quote Originally Posted by spmetla View Post
One thing I wish that the US would consider would be to either develop or use a pre-existing light tank such as the Cadillac Stingray. One of the factors that limits tank use in Afghanistan is the load capacity of bridges so I think it would be useful to have a mid/low level tank that can bring the additional direct fire support that's needed and able to go most places that motorized infantry can. Of course the lack of protection makes it a bit more of a liability but perhaps that could be made up for with explosive reactive armor or an active defense system.

I'd prefer this over the Stryker MGS system because I think a wheeled gun system in the rough country of Afghanistan would probably fair worse than a tracked vehicle. Though this is just speculation, I've yet to got to Afghanistan and see the terrain for myself.
That is true about the bridges, but wouldn't a light tank have just as much trouble as the Bradley and Stryker?

As for the explosive reactive armor or the active defense system, the Isreali invasion of Lebannon showed how both those systems could protect and fail if the enemy made use of their AT-Weaponry the right way. The Isreali's lost a decent amount of tanks in the fighting.

The Stryker was supposed to fill the shoes until they came up with something better, but so far, I haven't really heard anything from that department in moving towards creating a light tank. If we did, I could see it more designed towards urban warfare than what we are encountering in Afghanistan.

I haven't been to afghanistan myself either, but from following the war there, I'd say that they North and North-Eastern areas of the country seem more suited to Bradley and Humvee type vehicles, while the south is more akin to the use of tank, IFV's, Light tanks, and humvee type vehicles. But that's just speculation like you said...