December 14, 2023 T
M1 Abrams SEPv4: The Powerhouse Tank the U.S. Army Won't Build
M1 Abrams SEPv4 had all the makings of a new classic tank for the U.S. Army. So why did they pass on the project when it seems to have so much potential?
by Peter Suciu Follow PeterSuciu on TwitterL
U.S. Army Ditched the M1A2 SEP Version 4 of M1 Abrams Tank: The United States M1 Abrams is considered one of the best main battle tanks (MBTs) in service today. While it first was adopted by the U.S. military in the early 1980s, it is important to note that the approximately 2,500 Abrams now in service aren't the same vehicles that rolled off the assembly line when TV viewers tuned in to see Dallas every Friday night.
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While some of the upgrades have truly improved the tank, some of the more recent updates were specific to the needs encountered in the Global War on Terror (GWoT) in Afghanistan and Iraq and may be ill-suited to a conflict with a near-peer adversary such as China.
That fact was noted by a report from the Army Science Board, a federally-sanctioned independent group of experts that advises the Secretary of the Army, published in late August. It found that the U.S. Army's M1 Abrams will not be sufficient to support missions conducted from 20240 and beyond. The study further called for one or more types of fifth-generation combat vehicles (5GCV) to effectively meet operational demands in the coming decades.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/m1-abrams-sepv4-powerhouse-tank-us-army-wont-build-207941
