The New Super Main Battle Tank to replace M1 Abrams is Coming

The New Super Main Battle Tank to replace M1 Abrams is Coming

Several images taken at a U.S. Army workshop show a very rough idea of a possible replacement for the long-serving M1 Abrams tank. The images seem to depict at least three concept tanks, including one behemoth that dwarfs the 70-ton Abrams. The Army plans to make a decision about if and how to replace the Abrams in 2023.

The event, a three-day workshop, was held in early October at the U.S. Army’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center at Detroit Arsenal. According to the Army, the event paired soldiers “with a team of industrial designers and Subject Matter Experts” to explore topics “from crew size to unmanned and autonomous considerations.” The team also “explored levels of desired lethality, mobility, and survivability applied to a number of concept platforms.”

The Army currently operates the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank. The service developed the Abrams in the late 1970s and began using it in the early 1980s. Although the basic design is more than 40 years old, several upgrades, including a larger main gun, depleted uranium armor, improved thermal imaging sensors, improved crew protection, and battlefield networking systems have allowed the M1 series to keep pace with armor threats.

The latest upgrade, The Trophy active protection system, uses a combination of turret-mounted radars and projectile interceptors to shoot down incoming anti-tank missiles before they hit the tank.

The Army has tried several times to replace the Abrams; at one point in the 2000s, the service spent billions without building a single vehicle. The October workshop was part of yet another effort, known as Optionally Manned Tank (OMT), to design a new main battle tank. OMT is pretty self-explanatory, but the Army is weighing exactly what it wants in a future tank—especially one that will probably serve as long as the current M1 Abrams.

One image from the workshop shows a number of scale models of contemporary tanks and fighting vehicles. The vehicles are 1/35 scale and built from commercial model kits and represent many of the most modern main battle tanks worldwide. At least three vehicles, presumably concept vehicles for the OMT, are present.

The M1 Abrams is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare and now one of the heaviest tanks in service at nearly 68 short tons (almost 62 metric tons), it introduced several innovative features, including a multifuel turbine engine, sophisticated Chobham composite armor, a computer fire control system, separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment, and NBC protection for crew safety.

main battle tankm1 abramsabrams tank