![]() When asked to talk about a more far-reaching future, representatives for the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, admitted to “a strong reluctance to get wild,” adding, “No one wants to talk sci-fi or get too futuristic.” But I’ve been very purposeful in saying it may not be a tank, because I don’t want to limit what is available to our soldiers.”īut what about a tank beyond the immediate future? Where is the focus beyond 2028? No one, at least in my office, disagrees that we need something that has the capability to deliver decisive lethality with a survivability level that outpaces our peers. He said the two studies “are answering questions on what is out there as far as current technology and what we think to be immediate future technology to provide us options. And it has to be survivable in the worst places on earth in cities and in cross-country terrain. It’s got to deliver decisive lethality in the worst places on earth. ![]() In all seriousness, he continued, “Everything is on the table. In a subsequent media roundtable at the AUSA event, Coffman smiled while repeating his previously quoted assertions that he “doesn’t care if hovers, is run by a flux capacitor or shoots lasers.” In addition to the two studies underway, he highlighted “a lot of exciting work in this space,” citing examples like “directed energy” and “other munitions that could be put in place.” So, in 2023, we will have a decision point, with guidance from senior leaders on how to proceed.” But at some point, the Abrams will have to be replaced. But it will be decisively lethal, protect the crew against their main battle tanks, allow us to identify the enemy before they can identify us, and engage them at farther ranges. “This is a decisive lethality that has to fight in really, really bad places. Ross Coffman, who heads the cross-functional team for the Next-Generation Combat Vehicle. “In the future, a decision will be made for Abrams replacement,” said Brig. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Ground Vehicle Systems Center. Army’s Global Force Symposium and Exposition in March were told that any concept of a replacement system for the Abrams would be fed from two ongoing studies: one being conducted by the Army Science Board and the other by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command.Īttendees at the Association of the U.S. The next tank may not even be a tank-looking and tank-acting vehicle.Ĭurrent tank modernization efforts focus on “an immediate future” and reflect study and close cooperation between the Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems, the Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team and supporting research efforts being conducted under the umbrella of “Team Warren,” a name based on the Michigan location of the U.S. The improved Abrams, the M1A2C, moves toward the Army’s expectations for the next-generation combat vehicle by having improved crew protection and mobility, but it lacks the option of autonomous operation, alternative fuel and directed energy weaponry capabilities being studied by the cross-functional team trying to set a road map to the future. It doesn’t fight cyberbattles or knock out satellites, but it is an essential piece of the multidomain fighting force. While tanks have been declared obsolete many times since their first use in the Battle of the Somme in 1916, the latest high-tech upgrades to the legendary M1 Abrams make it more reliable, effective and lethal, allowing the Abrams to be a key asset in the land portion of the evolving multidomain battle. The almost 40-year-old Abrams tank has a significant role in the Army’s vision for 2028 because of a major facelift that upgrades the engine, sensors and sights, along with advanced armor and an active protection system aimed at fighting, surviving and winning.īut it is not quite the radical new tank the Army needs for the future. ![]() AUSA Volunteer Family of the Year Award.Letters to Congress & the Administration.
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