The U.S. Army continues testing of the latest version of Abrams tank called M1A2 Systems Engineering Plan version 3.
“The M1A2 Systems Engineering Plan version three Abrams main battle tank is currently being put through its paces across the more than 200 miles of rugged road courses at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground,” said at the official Twitter account of Army’s multiple purpose test-facility.
The Abrams M1A2 Main Battle Tank (MBT) is a tracked, land combat, assault ωεɑρσռ system equipped with a 120 mm main gun designed to possess significant survivability, shoot-on the-move firepower, joint interoperability (for the exchange of tactical and support information), and a high degree of maneuverability and tactical agility.
Early, the service has reported that the Army continues to characterize the survivability of the next iteration of the iconic Abrams main battle tank against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mines, and direct- and indirect-fire threats.
In FY18, Live-Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E) examined the vulnerability of the tank to threat-induced impact to onboard ammunition, and full-up system-level (FUSL) testing. Director, Operational Test and Evaluation plan to complete a detailed survivability analysis in fourth quarter FY19 to support the Full Materiel Release decision in first quarter FY20.
Also noted that M1A2 SEPv3 fielding is planned for the fiscal year 2020.
The latest Abrams version is also more heavily armored than previous versions, which necessitates improvements in the power system and suspension.
Improvements focus on power, management, counter-IED systems and improved, embedded training, and an ammunition data link. It is the most reliable Abrams tank ever produced, will decrease the Army’s logistic burden, and leads the Army in Enterprise-level connectivity to maintenance and supply systems.
The SEPv3 measures 9.7m-long, 3.7m-wide and 2.4m-high, and is manned by a crew of four, including a driver, a commander, a loader and a gunner.
In a 2017 report, Maj. Gen. David Bassett, program executive officer for Ground Combat Systems said: “These vehicles are not just about assuring our allies, or deterring or coercing potential adversaries. They are about compelling our enemies and winning the multi-domain battle.”
According to the current information, the U.S. Army has plans to equip a big batch of M1A2 SEPv3 with the Trophy active protection system that eliminates enemy threats, such as rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles.
