Army’s FY24 budget request doesn’t include funding for new Abrams prototype
The service is deciding if it will continue onward with a SEPv4 Abrams and future upgrades or find a new future main battle tank.
By ASHLEY ROQUE
on March 29, 2023 at 1:23 PM
Abrams X Tank
A full-sized General Dynamics Land Systems Abrams X tank commanded attention at the AUSA 2022 conference. (Brendon Smith/Breaking Defense)
GLOBAL FORCE 2023 — US Army leaders are weighing their long-term plans for main battle tanks and whether they should continue upgrading the existing Abrams fleet. But for now, there is no funding allocated in fiscal 2024 to kickstart a new version of the Abrams tank, according to Army acquisition head Doug Bush.
The service has yet to publish its justification documents for research and development programs, but Bush, speaking to reporters March 28 at the Association of the US Army Global Force symposium in Huntsville, Ala., stated that “There is not a decision reflected [in the FY24 budget] as we proceed with a new program beyond” the previously-announced M1A2 System Enhancement Package version 4 (SEPv4) Abrams.
Bush’s comments reflect the reality that while a new Abrams initiative is not included in the service’s $185.5 billion FY24 budget request, lawmakers could always add them in if and when the service decides on its path ahead.
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/03/armys-fy24-budget-request-doesnt-include-funding-for-new-abrams-prototype/
