Medium Cavalry: Critical Capability or Poor Man’s MBT?

[McG]

So the armoured corps has been discussing medium cavalry for several years now. 12 RBC experimented with a cavalry concept on MAPLE RESOLVE 2018. Four years later, several articles in Canadian Army Journal 19.3 discussed modernization of the armoured corps by moving from tank and recce to just cavalry, and one of those articles advocated all recce squadrons be replaced with medium cavalry. By mid 2023, there was buzz about a medium cavalry project.

But the vision of medium cavalry seems also to have evolved over the years. Early years (2020 to 2023) describing a wheeled vehicle with a turreted 105 mm cannon. This vision of medium cavalry wanted something with a big punch that would be able to keep pace with LAVs on a highway; something like 105 mm LAV 700 or Centauro. By late 2024, much talk of medium cavalry seems to have shifted to tracked medium tanks like Booker, CV90105, or CV90120. These vehicles would no longer be able to keep pace with LAVs on a highway, but they would have firepower and mobility approaching that of an MBT.

I have no doubt a medium tank can do things that a wheeled vehicle cannot do. But, if CA is going to sacrifice all the benefits of wheels (and all the benefits of some commonality with other in service fleets) to get only some of advantage of a MBT, why not go for all the capability of a MBT - scrap the idea of medium cavalry and put all three Reg F armoured regiments in MBTs?

The shift from talking about medium cavalry as a wheeled capability to predominantly talking about medium cavalry as a tracked capability seems to have coincided with the firming of Canada’s commitment to meeting its defence expenditure promises. I can’t tell the CA vision for medium cavalry changed because of an analysis that determined there was a requirement for less capable tanks, or because the platform level ambition grew with the prospect of greater funding.

 

[OldSolduer]

So - put all three Armored Regiments in tanks-the same tank

FWIW and I am not expert but I do think the medium wheel Fire Support Vehicle bears looking at.

 

[KevinB]

I have a hard time with the concept of Calvary at this junction in time being with either the Armoured or Infantry exclusively.
While I see a hard MBT role for the Armoured Corps in Canada, as it is hard to function in a combined arms setting without a tank, I am not so set on what exactly Medium Calvary really is. For the Canadian aspect, I get concerned when I hear about wheeled vehicle with tank guns, as MGS rears it's ugly head, and I have Cougar AVGP PTSD...

When one talks about Light or Medium Cavalry, I tend to look to the US Cavalry of the Indian Wars as an example.
Use vehicle to do mobility stuff, but be prepared to fight dismounted as well, as the vehicles aren't generally protected to fight from the vehicle like a tank is. As such the 105mm and 120mm tracked systems like the M10 Booker or CV90 105/120 don't really do it for me. I see that role being more like a 40mm CV90 MkIV, with a punchy gun, and missiles for dealing with armored threats beyond gun ranges.

The MGS/LAV fire support vehicle is something like the M10 Booker to me, the answer to the question that no one should have asked.
What is the role for it? Few Armies plan on doctrinally fighting armored formations with Light/Medium Infantry in mobile warfare, when confronted with an Armored threat - one sits back and uses terrain to ones advantages, and FIRES then ones ATGM's.

If one is thinking of a fixed fortification "pillbox" issue, on the advance, (again one probably isn't using Light Infantry unless it's close complex terrain) you have tanks - and FIRES, use them, and left overs can be cleaned up by dismounted infantry using 84mm, M72's, or demo charges.
Loitering Munitions like the Switchblade can do a heck of a job on a bunker in forested areas - ideally without exposing anyone to direct fire like a DFSV would.

For Light roles, the DFSV can be a MRZR group with GAU-19 and GMG, using LM's if the issue is hardened enough that .50 and 40mm HV will not crack it easily.

 

[daftandbarmy]

So the armoured corps has been discussing medium cavalry for several years now. 12 RBC experimented with a cavalry concept on MAPLE RESOLVE 2018. Four years later, several articles in Canadian Army Journal 19.3 discussed modernization of the armoured corps by moving from tank and recce to just cavalry, and one of those articles advocated all recce squadrons be replaced with medium cavalry. By mid 2023, there was buzz about a medium cavalry project.

But the vision of medium cavalry seems also to have evolved over the years. Early years (2020 to 2023) describing a wheeled vehicle with a turreted 105 mm cannon. This vision of medium cavalry wanted something with a big punch that would be able to keep pace with LAVs on a highway; something like 105 mm LAV 700 or Centauro. By late 2024, much talk of medium cavalry seems to have shifted to tracked medium tanks like Booker, CV90105, or CV90120. These vehicles would no longer be able to keep pace with LAVs on a highway, but they would have firepower and mobility approaching that of an MBT.

I have no doubt a medium tank can do things that a wheeled vehicle cannot do. But, if CA is going to sacrifice all the benefits of wheels (and all the benefits of some commonality with other in service fleets) to get only some of advantage of a MBT, why not go for all the capability of a MBT - scrap the idea of medium cavalry and put all three Reg F armoured regiments in MBTs?

The shift from talking about medium cavalry as a wheeled capability to predominantly talking about medium cavalry as a tracked capability seems to have coincided with the firming of Canada’s commitment to meeting its defence expenditure promises. I can’t tell the CA vision for medium cavalry changed because of an analysis that determined there was a requirement for less capable tanks, or because the platform level ambition grew with the prospect of greater funding.

I get the difference between 'light' and 'heavy' cavalry, discussed here for example: Discussion Paper: Canadian Light Armoured Cavalry Concepts

But I struggle to understand what a medium cavalry role would add that was of any value.