AbramsX tank design

General Dynamics

General Dynamics last weekend introduced a prototype of its next-generation battle tank, the AbramsX. According to former military officials, this is the version with the biggest upgrade in US military tank technology since the beginning of the Cold War, showing both important advances in design and concerns about unnecessary military spending, The Washington Post reports.

AbramsX is equipped with typical features of modern military weapons. With a diesel-electric “hybrid” engine, it is lighter and much more fuel efficient than today’s gas-guzzling Abrams tanks. It can also operate with a smaller crew and has an artificial intelligence (AI) system to detect enemies, according to the company.

But according to Mr. Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel who is currently a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS, headquartered in Washington DC), “the tank community will have a very difficult time.” get the resources to carry out a major upgrade”.

The Washington Post said that not long after the war in Vietnam, the US Department of Defense put Abrams tanks into service to keep up with the Soviet Union’s firepower and technology. The M1 Abrams tank has served as the main battle tank of the US Army, as well as the US Marine Corps until recently.

The Abrams tank has undergone many changes, but it has also created a series of problems: It is expensive and gas-guzzling, and it is not as agile on the battlefield as light armored vehicles, such as the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. , according to military experts.

Over the past few years, General Dynamics has been trying to solve those problems, said Tim Reese, the company’s director of U.S. business development. General Dynamics did not disclose the price of the AbramsX, which is still in the early stages of development.

Mr. Reese said this tank weighs about 10 tons lighter than current models in use. He said its “hybrid” engine will save 50% more fuel than the Abrams tanks used by the US military today, which require more than 1 gallon (about 3.78 liters) of gasoline per miles (about 1.6 km) traveled.

The design will also be slightly different. Instead of sitting in the turret at the front of the tank, soldiers will sit in the body. Designers say the tank can operate with a crew of three, one fewer than usual. AbramsX has enhanced armor to withstand bombs dropped by drones.

The tank’s software is another major upgrade. An AI system can be used to detect distant threats. AbramsX can also communicate with drones that are scouting for hazards ahead.

Mr. Reese noted that in combat situations, the tank’s AI can prioritize target lists when there are multiple enemies. But it cannot kill anyone automatically, that decision belongs to the vehicle commander.

Expert Cancian said the AbramsX is a major step forward in the military’s tank program but noted that the design will face challenges.

It is challenging to receive approval from top Pentagon officials and generals.

According to Mr. Cancian, the fighting in Ukraine has provided some lessons. In the early days of the conflict, he said Ukraine defeated Russian tanks with ease, a sign that the machines may no longer be useful. But as the conflict dragged on, Kyiv officials said the tanks would be very useful and continued to ask Western countries to provide them.

On the other hand, America’s main strategic rival is China, and the ability to confront Beijing in the future will mainly rely on naval and air power, not tanks, according to the expert.