Early reports from the Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) indicate the Army’s “tank of the future,” which is currently in design, will be lethal but light-weight – and loaded with high-tech features.
Select engineering ideas and weapons systems, such as those that detect and destroy targets with lasers or with artillery fire, were originally planned for a ground combat vehicle. They are being rolled into future tanks instead. One potential option is a computer-controlled 30 mm cannon that fires up to 200 rounds per minute or that will fire and detonate rounds at an enemy hiding behind an object.
Another likely addition is technology that can detect, track and destroy incoming enemy fire in milliseconds. With such advanced sensor technology on board, the tanks will also ideally have the capability to withstand attacks that cause sensors to malfunction in current tanks.
Remote control technologies may also allow for autonomous vehicles and/or reduced crew size. For example, the tank may control unmanned drones that fire weapons, test enemy defenses, carry supplies or perform reconnaissance missions while manned crews stay at safer distances. Advanced Abrams tanks will use a mobile auxiliary power unit to bring more on-board electrical power to the platform for increased targeting, command-and-control technologies and weapons support as well as future systems such as laser weapons.
Lighter weight armor materials will offer greater protection for troops, and special chassis reinforcements – beefing up the tank’s inside and underbody – will help protect crew in an IED threat environment. The lighter tank may also provide a strategic advantage by giving the ability to travel faster in combat scenarios.
Also on the table is an uber-lightweight 120 mm cannon that can fire rounds available now, as well as next-generation rounds. The weapon initially tested, called XM360, included features such as a thermal and environmental shroud, blast deflector, composite built overwrapped gun and independent recoil brakes. It weighed about half that of an existing Abrams 120 mm cannon. Certain changes in overall manufacturing could shave off roughly 20 percent in weight compared to a 72-ton Abrams tank, according to TARDEC.
You won’t see this machine until the 2030s. However, the early start on concept modeling will ensure the tank meets the needs of expected warfare tools that evolve by then. It should far exceed the current Abrams in terms of sensors, networking technology, force-tracking systems and vastly increased firepower. Indeed, expect a vehicle that can quickly change as technology advances and can rapidly adapt to new threats as they develop.
Coming before the debut of the Advanced Abrams tank, will be the roll out of the M1A2 SEP v4 upgraded Abrams tank, which is slated to begin testing in 2021. It will include laser rangefinder technology, color cameras, integrated on-board networks, advanced meteorological sensors, ammunition data links and laser warning receivers. The SEP v4 will certainly whet appetites for the next-generation tank that is sure to be worth the wait.
By Staff Writer Rita Hess
