America’s next tank: Army greenlights more aggressive M1 Abrams upgrade

[rangerrebew]

America’s next tank: Army greenlights more aggressive M1 Abrams upgrade
The Army plans to "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 service announced tonight.
By   ASHLEY ROQUE
on September 06, 2023 at 7:00 PM
 

WASHINGTON — The Army will pursue a more ambitious upgrade to its M1 Abrams main battle tank than previously planned — and could have soldiers inside it by early 2030, service officials announced today.

“The Abrams tank can no longer grow its capabilities without adding weight, and we need to reduce its logistical footprint,” said Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems said in a press release. “The war in Ukraine has highlighted a critical need for integrated protections for soldiers, built from within instead of adding on.”

“We appreciate that future battlefields pose new challenges to the tank as we study recent and ongoing conflicts” wrote Brig. Gen. Geoffrey Norman, director of the Next-Generation Combat Vehicle Cross Functional Team. “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.”

https://breakingdefense.com/2023/09/americas-next-tank-army-greenlights-more-aggressive-m1-abrams-upgrade/

[rangerrebew]

What will be the protocol when the Marines decide they want tanks again?

[Maj. Bill Martin]

What will be the protocol when the Marines decide they want tanks again?

That's an ongoing battle.   Could be as soon as the next Commandant appointed by someone other than Biden.

[rangerrebew]

Army Axes M1A2 SEPv4 Abrams, Bets Big On Next-Gen “M1E3”
The service has elected to ditch development of the M1A2 SEPv4 in favor of a lighter, smarter, more survivable M1 Abrams main battle tank.

BY
OLIVER PARKEN
|
PUBLISHED SEP 9, 2023 2:43 PM EDT
 
OLIVER PARKEN
 
The U.S. Army is pushing ahead with plans for a next-generation M1 Abrams main battle tank, which the service is calling "M1E3," having now decided to axe development of the M1A2 System Enhanced Package Version 4 (SEPv4).


According to the service, the move away from SEPv4 relates to the need for tanks with increased mobility and survivability, in light of the war in Ukraine, with lighter-weight, more adaptable systems required on the battlefields of 2040 and beyond. It’s unclear at present how the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) light tank initiative factors into this decision, if at all.

The Army announced its intention to pursue a more ambitious modernization strategy for the M1 earlier this week. “The new approach balances costs with the Army’s needs and invests in the nation’s defense industrial base,” it said. Initial operational capability (IOC) of the M1E3 is anticipated by the early 2030s. Despite the designation having been used by the service to describe various future ‘modernized’ Abrams concepts since at least 2010, it notes that “the M1E3 Abrams nomenclature is a return to the Army’s standard use of its type classification and nomenclature system for our combat vehicle fleet.” The ‘E’ especially is used to illustrate the significant engineering changes involved compared to the previous system, and the type’s prototype status, per the service.

“The development of the M1E3 Abrams will include the best features of the M1A2 SEPv4 and will comply with the latest modular open systems architecture standards, allowing quicker technology upgrades and requiring fewer resources,” the Army says.

 https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/army-axes-m1a2-sepv4-abrams-bets-big-on-next-gen-m1e3