DARPA is looking to create the next-generation of military tanks

Tanks are Goliaths. They’re covered with layers and layers of thick armor for protection, which makes them huge and slow-moving. Now, DARPA wants to change that. For the last 100 years, the ability of weapons to punch holes through thick armor has advanced faster than the armor’s ability to withstand protection, says a DARPA release. The agency wants to develop vehicles that are lighter and move quicker to dodge attacks rather than depend on armor for safety.

Tanks and other land-based fighting vehicles are typically fitted with layers upon layers of armor for protection, but they move real slow as a result. Since more advanced weapons are being developed to punch holes through thick plating anyway, DARPA wants to find a way to develop faster, more agile fighting vehicles that don’t depend on armor for safety. To accomplish that, the agency has launched the Ground X-Vehicle Technology (GXV-T) program, which aims to conjure up technologies that’ll lead to slimmer tanks that can avoid getting shot at. The program wants to cut vehicles’ weight and the number of operators needed to operate them in half, as well as to make them twice as fast so they can dodge incoming threats. It also plans to give these new breed of vehicles the power to drive through rough terrain and to evade enemy detection. DARPA’s slated to work on GXV-T technologies for the next 24 months before it awards any contract, so it might take a while before we see a finished product.