The Army specifically requires the new tank series to be lighter in weight than its predecessors.
As exemplified by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, main battle tanks (MBTs) are not just military equipment of the past. In fact, these tried and trusted armored vehicles will likely remain relevant in modern warfare for decades to come. Many nations, including the United States, are banking on this premise and working to develop next-generation prototypes. The US Army reportedly has accelerated its efforts to field the upcoming M1E3 Abrams MBT. According to a General Dynamics executive, the next-generation platform will complete a major milestone before the end of 2026. The service first revealed its intentions to scrap its plans to update the existing M1A2 series in favor of the new iteration back in 2023. Although initial reports indicated that the new tank series would not be ready for battle until the early 2030s, progress has ramped up.
Alex Miller, chief technology officer and senior advisor for science and technology to the chief of staff of the Army, recently discussed this timeline for a report in The War Zone. “Very long story short, when we went – when the Chief [of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy George] and I went to Detroit, 18 months ago, the PEO team, at the time, said that we would not see the M1E3 until 2032,” Miller said. “And we said no.” The official added that “[We] gave them [PEO-GCS] a challenge, gave General Dynamics a challenge,” Miller continued. “I want a tank by the end of the year, and we need a platoon by the end of next year. We understand there’s a lot of process things that we, the government, impose. So things like critical design review, things like final design review, those are government processes.”
An Overview of the Abrams Platform
The M1 Abrams family of tanks was born from a post-World War II effort between the United States and West Germany to collaboratively field a tank series. While this joint effort never came to fruition, that is where the M1 platform’s origins began. The original Abrams tank prioritized survivability. Specifically, this MBT was modeled with Chobham armor, which is an incredibly thick material that is designed to perform extremely well against HEAT rounds and other shaped charges. Other notable design features incorporated in the Abrams include the 120mm smoothbore main gun, advanced tracking systems, and a 1m500-horsepower turbine engine.
Although General Dynamics planned to maintain some of the characteristics of the original M1 that make the platform so legendary, like the smoothbore 120mm gun, the new M1E3 design will sport many enhancements. The Army specifically requires the new tank series to be lighter in weight than its predecessors and to feature an improved power generation and drivetrain. Additionally, while the Israeli-made Trophy active protection system provides critical protection to existing Abrams models today, an improved active protection system that can defeat projectiles ranging from anti-tank guided missiles and drones to shoulder-fired rockets and grenades will be prioritized for the M1E3.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
