The Army is setting course on a new modernization path for its Abrams tanks, detailing plans to develop an M1E3 Abrams it aims to field by the early 2030s with “capability improvements” required for future fights.
In turn, the Army will move on from the M1A2 System Enhancement Package version 4 (SEPv4) upgrade effort for the General Dynamics Land Systems
[GD]-built tanks and said it will focus on producing the current M1A2 SEPv3 at a “reduced rate until production transitions to the M1E3 Abrams.”
“We appreciate that future battlefields pose new challenges to the tank as we study recent and ongoing conflicts,” Brig. Gen. Geoffrey Norman, director of the Army’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team, said in the Wednesday evening announcement. “We must optimize the Abrams’ mobility and survivability to allow the tank to continue to close with and destroy the enemy as the apex predator on future battlefields.”
Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, program executive officer for ground combat systems, added the Abrams tanks “can no longer grow its capabilities without adding weight” and the Army must focus on reducing the tank’s “logistical footprint.”
“Years of testing, analysis, soldier feedback and maturing technology culminated in this strategic decision. The new approach balances costs with the Army’s needs and invests in the nation’s defense industrial base,” the Army wrote in its announcement.
The Army said development of the M1E3 Abrams will leverage the “best features” from M1A2 SEPv4 work, while also focusing on building around modular open systems architecture standards to allow for “quicker technology upgrades and requiring fewer resources.”
“This will enable the Army and its commercial partners to design a more survivable, lighter tank that will be more effective on the battlefield at initial fielding, and more easy to upgrade in the future,” the Army said. “This modernization will enhance the efficacy and maneuverability of armored brigade combat teams in conflicts across the globe through a reduced sustainment footprint and increased operational and tactical mobility.”
The Army awarded GD Land Systems a contract in 2017 to develop the SEPv4 upgrades for the Abrams.
GD Land Systems last October unveiled its AbramsX hybrid-electric technology demonstrator Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA) annual conference in Washington, D.C. (Defense Daily, Oct. 4 2022).
“What you have [with AbramsX] is an ability to reduce the volume and size of the engine, reduce the fuel required but maintain the same or maybe slightly better operating profile of the current tank. So then you have reduced weight, you provided a lot of power and with that you can get rid of the hydraulic system in the tank and go to your electric drive which further reduces weight,” Keith Barclay, GD Land Systems’ director of U.S. strategy and growth, told Defense Daily at the time.
GD Land Systems in December 2020 received a $4.6 billion deal from the Army covering SEPv3 upgrades for Abrams, with work expected to be completed by June 2028 (Defense Daily, Dec. 18 2020).