The New Tank: The M1 Abrams, introduced in the 1980s, remains the backbone of the U.S. Army’s tank corps due to its cutting-edge technology at the time. However, the Abrams is now due for an upgrade, and the Army has proposed the AbramsX—a hybrid electric-diesel variant with improved mobility, fuel efficiency, and AI integration.
The Problem: While the AbramsX promises to modernize U.S. tank technology, its future remains uncertain due to funding concerns and the shifting focus toward potential conflicts with China, which are less likely to involve tanks.
First built in the 1980s, the M1 Abrams is a well known entity to tank aficionados. The backbone of the U.S. tank corps, the Abrams was loaded with cutting-edge technology when the system first debuted. From Chobham armor to compartmentalized ammunition storage and computerized fire control, the Abrams was ahead of its time, which is why the tank is still in service today.
Even so, 40 years later the Abrams is due for an upgrade, and the Army has something in mind: the AbramsX.
The AbramsX is far from a sure thing. It is more of an idea at this point – an idea that will need to be heavily funded to progress from the blueprint phase. Does the U.S. Department of Defense have the willpower to properly fund the development of a next-generation tank platform? That is unclear.
Conflict in Eastern Europe has featured the tank as a central player, suggesting that proper preparations for a potential war against Russia would require a robust tank corps. The tank has also proven relevant when the U.S. has waded into recent Middle Eastern conflicts.
But the U.S. is wisely shifting its attention, and its equipment procurement strategy, toward a potential conflict with China.
The Chinese are indeed the most viable contender to American hegemony, and conflict against China is unlikely to revolve much around the tank. Rather, the U.S. Navy and Air Force have been getting special attention in efforts to strengthen their ability to wage war on the seas and islands of the Indo-Pacific.
Regardless, if the powers that be decide the AbramsX is a necessary investment, the Army will receive “the biggest upgrade of America’s military tank technology since early in the Cold War.”
Upgrade or not, the Pentagon is reportedly skeptical over the costs of the program. According to The Washington Post, the AbramsX “faces an uphill climb in the halls of the Pentagon”
Very little information is available about the prospective Abrams upgrade. Details are scant. General Dynamics, the tank’s manufacturer, dropped a teaser clip for the new tank on YouTube last year, but that’s about the extent of it.
We do know, however, that the engine is expected to be changed to a hybrid electric-diesel variant for the sake of reducing the tank’s weight, in effect improving the tank’s mobility and fuel efficiency.
Generally, the AbramsX is expected to be more economical and more efficient than the M1 Abrams. The new tank will operate with a smaller crew and will make use of artificial intelligence to supplement the crew. So realistically, the AbramsX is the next step towards the full-on automation of the tank corps (and the rest of the military). Not everyone is thrilled about the progressive reliance on AI.
Some critics also have concerns about the existing Abrams and are worried that upgrading what they see as a flawed system is not a worthwhile investment.
Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Image Credit: Creative Commons.
