M1 Abrams Ineffective By 2040 In Fight Against China: Army Study
A report from the Army Science Board recommends moving beyond the M1 Abrams to new, smaller tanks and uncrewed vehicles.
BY
JOSEPH TREVITHICK
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PUBLISHED OCT 4, 2023 3:18 PM EDT
A new report from the Army Science Board says the M1 Abrams tank will not be effective or be able to dominate on the battlefield in the 2040s, especially in a potential high-end fight against China.
JOSEPH TREVITHICK
The U.S. Army's M1 Abrams tanks will "not be effective" or able to "dominate" on the battlefields of the 2040s, especially in the context of a potential high-end conflict against China. This is the conclusion of an official advisory body that is also calling for an Abrams replacement effort that could include a next-generation M1 derivative, as well as lighter 'tanks' armed with larger caliber guns and hypersonic anti-tank missiles, and uncrewed ground vehicles.
The Army Science Board, a federally-sanctioned independent group of experts that advises the Secretary of the Army, recently published an assessment about the future of the M1 tank. It also outlines the need for one or more types of "5th Generation Combat Vehicle," or 5GCV, to meet operational demands in the 2040s. The origins of this study trace back to 2019 and the final report is dated August 2023.
The Army currently has around 2,500 M1 Abrams tanks in service today, with thousands more in storage that could potentially be refurbished and returned to service, if necessary. The original M1 entered service in the 1980s and significantly more capable variants have been introduced since then.
The Army Science Board study is blunt in its core conclusions about the future of the M1, stating early on:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/m1-abrams-ineffective-by-2040-in-fight-against-china-army-study
