From Digital Design to Delivery: GDLS and STC Advance the XM30 Infantry Combat Vehicle
Company: General Dynamics Land Systems
Headquarters: Sterling Heights, Michigan
Industry: Manufacturer
STC Services Utilized: MBSE services, digital engineering consulting services, software and infrastructure support
INTRODUCTION
General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) is a global leader in the design, development, production, support and sustainment of tracked and wheeled military equipment for the U.S. military and allied forces. As modern land combat requirements evolve, GDLS is delivering digitally engineered platforms that can adapt quickly to emerging threats, new technologies and changing mission needs.
Central to that effort is the XM30 Infantry Combat Vehicle, the U.S. Army’s next-generation replacement for the M2 Bradley. Designed as an optionally manned platform, XM30 features an unmanned turret, hybrid-electric propulsion, advanced protection systems and a modular design to enable rapid upgrades throughout its life cycle. The program is moving on an accelerated timeline, with preliminary design review completed in 2024, prototype construction underway and initial vehicle deliveries planned for 2026—driving the need for a digital-first engineering approach that supports speed without sacrificing rigor.
To meet these milestones, GDLS partnered with Strategic Technology Consulting (STC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Arcfield, for expertise in model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and digital engineering. Since 2023, STC has supported GDLS across multiple programs, leading MBSE efforts and operating as an extension of GDLS’ systems engineering teams. STC strengthened the XM30 program by bringing advanced systems engineering capability, anchored in MBSE and modern digital engineering practices —capabilities explicitly required by the U.S. Army contract. The result is an authoritative system model used by the government for recurring reviews and major milestone events, including a fully digital critical design review (CDR) conducted directly from system models.
Today, the partnership has grown beyond its initial scope, encompassing a range of programs. Leveraging a combination of embedded and remote teams, GDLS and STC are collaborating on a common reference architecture and reusable digital engineering frameworks that accelerate program startup, improve consistency and enable faster delivery of next-generation ground combat capabilities.
GDLS' CHALLENGE AND MBSE OPPORTUNITY
The XM30 program represents a fundamental shift in how GDLS and the U.S. Army approach complex systems development. Unlike traditional milestone reviews—often characterized by static, slide-based briefings prepared months in advance—the XM30 CDR was conducted entirely from a live system model. As the first fully digital CDR completed by both GDLS and the U.S. Army, it demonstrated a comprehensive transformation to digital engineering processes that revolutionized how engineering teams collaborated with each other and with the customer.
This shift introduced both opportunity and complexity. Model-based reviews provide real-time access to the latest design data, enabling greater transparency, traceability and technical depth compared to static presentations. Additionally, the program leveraged the models as the authoritative source of truth to generate contract data requirements lists (CDRLs) directly from the models, rather than relying on traditionally static documents. This approach streamlined the delivery process, allowing CDRLs to be accessed directly within the models or generated at any time with the click of a button.
By engaging directly with the live system model, teams and stakeholders were able to collaboratively explore the evolving design, fostering a shared understanding of system maturity and continuous engineering progress. This approach highlighted the dynamic nature of the model as a living representation of the system, supporting informed decision-making throughout its development.
The transition was driven by both mandate and momentum. Under Title 10 U.S.C. 4401(b), the U.S. Army is required to align programs with MOSA principles. More broadly, the Army is increasingly embracing MBSE as a preferred way to engage with industry—seeking earlier insight, tighter feedback loops, and more dynamic collaboration throughout development. For GDLS, the fully digital CDR became an opportunity to demonstrate digital maturity, agility, and readiness—setting a foundation not only for XM30, but for future programs as well.
STC'S SUPPORT AND IMPACT
To meet the U.S. Army’s digital engineering expectations while maintaining an aggressive schedule, GDLS partnered with STC as a fully integrated member of its systems engineering organization. Rather than serving as a point solution, STC embedded deeply within GDLS teams, combining GDLS’ ground-vehicle expertise with STC’s specialized leadership in MBSE, SysML modeling and digital engineering practices.
At enterprise scale, this collaboration now supports more than 200 GDLS and STC engineers actively working in XM30 system architecture models across more than 25 model projects and over nine million model elements.
BY THE NUMBERS SCALE
IMPACT
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STC led the development and execution of the program’s MBSE approach within GDLS’s digital environment, establishing a comprehensive system model that integrated requirements, architecture, interfaces and system behavior. To maintain engineering rigor at this scale, more than 320 custom validation rules automatically verify system architecture consistency and requirements compliance as the models evolve.
Working closely with GDLS domain engineers, STC helped translate complex technical data into executable model content that supported both engineering rigor and clear communication across disciplines and with the customer. To further strengthen model operations and reduce manual overhead, the team is deploying continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines using GitLab Runners to automate project usage updates–targeting nearly a 100% reduction in manual intervention through scheduled overnight execution.
A central outcome of this collaboration was the operationalization of the system model as a living product. This enterprise-scale digital product environment supports hundreds of concurrent contributors working across millions of model elements and a growing, federated set of model projects. Updated models were delivered to the U.S. Army on a recurring cadence and used directly for milestone events, culminating in a fully digital CDR. This approach replaced static reviews with real-time engagement, enabling faster feedback, greater confidence in design maturity and tighter alignment between industry and government.
As XM30 transitions from design to physical realization, the digital foundation established by GDLS and STC will continue to reduce risk and support integration, test and refinement ahead of planned prototype deliveries in 2026. In parallel, the partnership is extending beyond XM30 through the development of common reference architectures and reusable MBSE frameworks that can be applied across future programs, such as the U.S. Marine Corps’ (USMC) Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV). This focus on commonality accelerates program startup and enablesscalable, repeatable digital engineering practices.
For GDLS, STC and the U.S. Army, XM30 serves as both a delivery milestone and a proving ground —demonstrating how digital-first collaboration can move faster, adapt sooner, and deliver next-generation ground combat capability with confidence.
ABOUT GDLS
General Dynamics Land Systems provides innovative design, engineering, technology, production and full life-cycle support for land combat vehicles around the globe. The company’s extensive experience, customer-first focus and seasoned supply chain network provide unmatched capabilities to the U.S. military and its allies.
Visit gdls.com for more details.
ABOUT STC
STC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arcfield, is a sophisticated systems engineering services company, leveraging advanced digital tools and practices to more effectively and efficiently design and field sustainable and reliable systems. Our team utilizes industry-leading and revolutionary methods, languages and tools to specify, design and test the largest, most complex systems in the world.