America's future tank: M1E3 set to redefine battlefield by 2030

The M1 Abrams tank was developed in the 1970s. Although the design is already half a century old, thanks to modernisations, the American vehicle – like its German counterpart, the Leopard 2 – remains one of the most advanced tanks in the world.

Despite this, the United States is already working on a new tank with a construction system different from the currently operated machines. The pace of work is impressive.

As noted by Damian Ratka from Defence 24, although the Americans started later than the Germans and French with the MGCS programme, the American tank is expected to be ready by 2030 – 10 years earlier than the equipment from Europe. Why start working on a new tank at all?

The classic construction system - with the crew positioned both in the hull and turret - has reached the limits of its modernisation possibilities. Current versions of tanks - compared to early production series machines - are significantly heavier. When the Leopard 2A1 weighed 61 tonnes, the Leopard 2A7 weighs over 73 tonnes. Similarly, the Abrams - with the early M1 version slightly exceeding 61 tonnes, the M1A2 SEPv3 variant weighs around 74 tonnes.

Further improvement in tank protection by increasing their armour's resistance has proven to be a dead end - the mass of vehicles rises to levels where their operation becomes problematic. This involves not only the ability to move through difficult terrain or the capacity of bridges but also strategic transport, the ability to perform ad hoc repairs, or evacuate damaged equipment.

The response to this problem is the growing global interest in light tanks (or vehicles that, although classified differently, fulfil that role), as well as the future main battle tank projects and prototypes showing a lower mass than contemporary armoured weapons. An example of this trend is the KF51 Panther or AbramsX.

Therefore, the M1E3 tank - whose name will likely be changed to M1A3 upon entering service - breaks away from the current construction system. The key change compared to the currently operated Abrams M1A2 tank will be the application of an unmanned turret with an autoloader.

Thanks to this, the entire three-person crew will be located in an armoured space within the vehicle's hull. Due to the smaller volume of this space than in a classic tank, its armoured protection can be better while maintaining lower mass. The crew's survival chances will further increase by occupying positions low to the ground - in places less exposed to fire. The tank will also receive a new hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system.

The vehicle will also be equipped as standard with a hard-kill self-defence system (ASOP), built with stealth technology, and will receive new sensors and an AI system to assist with crew situational awareness. It will also be lighter than the currently used Abrams tanks.

The introduced changes will be - in part - in line with the postulates presented over a decade earlier by DARPA (Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency) based on the research programme Ground X-Vehicle Technology (GXV-T). They then recommended reducing the mass of tanks, decreasing crew size, wider application of stealth solutions, or installing active armour.

It's worth noting that the Russians attempted a similar revolution with their T-14 Armata tank presented a decade ago, but in their case, it ended with a few military parades, propaganda messages about "the world's best tank," and the production of only a few examples, suspending the production of the unfinished equipment. Moreover, despite following a similar development direction as the world, the new Russian tank was supposed to be heavier than the currently operated equipment.

Meanwhile, the work conducted by the Americans is drawing attention not only for its scope but also for its pace. The development of the new equipment is progressing, and some components, which will most likely be included in the new tank, have already been developed. For example, the drive in the form of the ACE1500 engine - the most powerful of the new engine family, which (in three standardised variants) will power American military vehicles in the future.

The rapid pace of work is expected to result in the target tank being ready by 2030. It's worth comparing this with the stalled French-German future tank programme, which - although started earlier than the work on the Abrams' successor - will result in a new tank around 2040 at the earliest.

The American haste has additional justification. Introducing the Abrams tank into service did not occur in a vacuum: the new tank was part of the so-called "Big Five," five new weapon systems that were supposed to provide Americans with a long-term advantage on the battlefield. These included the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, UH-60 Black Hawk multi-role helicopter, Patriot anti-aircraft system, as well as the M1 Abrams tank and M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

Currently, the USA is also planning not just the replacement of one type of weapon, but a systematic modernisation of the army, sometimes referred to as "Super Big 5". Next-generation equipment is being developed within the M-SHORAD and IFPC Inc 2 programmes (anti-aircraft and missile systems), FLRAA (helicopter - successor to the Black Hawk), XM1299 ERCA (discontinued future artillery development programme), as well as XM30 (new infantry fighting vehicle) and M1E3 (new main battle tank).

If the schedule is adhered to, the American army will undergo an equipment transformation around the same time, similar to the one conducted half a century earlier.