The United States Army is heading boldly into a redefined future for armored warfare with the current development of the M1E3 Abrams tank, a next-generation main battle tank designed to answer new emerging demands of modern combat. It is mainly a strategic pivot given the Army’s decision to terminate production for the M1A2 System Enhanced Package Version 4, or SEPv4, in favor of a more advanced and adaptive platform.
As expected, Major General Glenn Dean, Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems, stated on 6 September 2023 that the Army would “close out the M1A2 SEPv4 effort and develop the M1E3 Abrams.” He said that it was impossible to improve the current Abrams tank’s capabilities further without adding weight, driving the need for a smaller logistical footprint. The conflict in Ukraine, which continues unabated, has thus fostered an awareness that protection for troops must be comprehensive and integrated, rather than something that is “bolted on.
The M1E3 Abrams will include the best of the M1A2 SEPv4, with full compliance with the latest Modular Open Systems Architecture standards, to enable faster technology refreshes at a reduced cost in manpower, all to design a more survivable and lighter tank that will be more effective on the battlefield at initial fielding and easier to upgrade in the future.
Although the requirements for the M1E3 have not been released, the 2019 Army Science Board study on future tanks has shaped the establishment of the M1E3 program. It is indicative: they proposed this $2.9 billion seven-year program to equip the Army with a “fifth-generation combat vehicle” capable of having hybrid electric drive, an autoloader and main gun of new design, advanced munitions, integrated armor protection, improved command, control, and networking capabilities, applications of artificial intelligence, robot-vehicle pairing, and masking capabilities that can reduce the thermal and electromagnetic vehicle signatures.
In October 2022, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) rolled out an AbramsX Technology Demonstrator with a reduced weight of 10 tons from that of the current M1 Abrams, a hybrid electric diesel engine making the vehicle 50 percent more fuel-efficient than the current Abrams, an unmanned turret that cuts crew from four down to three soldiers, improved armor protection against drone-dropped munitions, communications links with unmanned aerial vehicles, and onboard AI that warns the crew of long-range threats and prioritizes fires against numerous threats.
“As we learn from recent and current combat, the future battlefields impose new challenges on the tank,” noted Brigadier General Geoffrey Norman. He emphasized the need to optimize Abrams’ mobility and survivability to retain its place at the top in the food chain of the future battlefield.
This means that the U.S. Army’s wish to replace the M1A2 SEPv4 with the M1E3 Abrams would fit into this larger trend among NATO allies studying a next-generation main battle tank. The United Kingdom is developing the Challenger 3, with France and Germany teamed on the Main Ground Combat System program. Russia and China have advanced tank designs in the works.
The M1E3 Abrams should enter initial operational status roughly at the beginning of the 2030s, making the U.S. Army indeed capable at the hardest point in armored warfare. As the battlefield further morphs in the future, the M1E3 Abrams is bound to be an important asset for the U.S. in its preservation of military superiority worldwide.