New Faster, Lighter More Lethal Army M1E3 Tank Brings New Combat Tactics

By Kris Osborn, Warrior

Faster, lighter, more fuel efficient, AI-enabled, built for manned-unmanned teaming and armed with an entire generation of new weapons….are merely a few of the attributes woven into the U.S. Army’s just released M1E3 pre-prototype tank. 

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George oversaw the service’s unveiling of an early prototype of the new tank, an effort which appears as an ambitious and potentially very promising effort to merge high-powered anti-armor lethality with range, agility, less weight, drone-controlling technology and a suite of advanced networking technologies.  The question has always been that reducing armor weight to gain speed and mobility may decrease the tank’s overall survivability, something which may no longer be the case. Details regarding survivability elements of the new tank are not likely to be available for security reasons, yet it is a reasonable assumption that Army weapons developers have incorporated lessons learned from Ukraine and made adaptations to enhance mobility and expeditionary operations without compromising survivability. 

Speaking at the Detroit Auto Show, Gen. George did specify that the new tank will integrate GenAI and “AI-generated digital engineering tools,” as quoted in Defense News. The M1A3 will also incorporate an X-Box like graphical screens and advanced algorithms to gather, merge and analyze incoming data from otherwise incompatible sensor technologies. 

On-Board Power

Using a hybrid-electric engine, the MiE3 will not only operate with more range and fuel efficiency but will also benefit from additional on-board electrical power capacity.  Upgrades to the Abrams have included technologies such as Auxiliary Power Units to fortify additional needs for power to support sensors, computing, targeting technology and command and control systems. Now, it appears likely that the Army has found a way to enable more on-board power at much lighter weights, circumstances which make the tank more expeditionary, deployable and able to maneuver over bridges and narrowly configured passageways in a way that 70-ton Abrams tanks cannot.  The new tank will likely be much better positioned to operate in urban areas as an agile attack platform able to control drones, verify targets from stand-off distances and fire a range of different 120mm tank round variants. 

These are likely among the many reasons why the Army is now fully immersed in its M1E3 Abrams Tank Modernization Program. After acquiring large numbers of the massively upgraded M1A2 SEP v3, the Army appears to be “skipping” over its M1A2 SEP v4 variant in favor of the emerging M1E3. The strategic rationale for many of specifics related to technical components of the M1E3 are not likely to be available for security reasons, yet it is likely that the Army is engineering its new tank variant with a specific mind to the kinds of anti-armor threats the world has observed in Ukraine. A faster, more agile tank, potentially fortified by longer-range weapons and sensors - and perhaps even active protection – would be in a much better position to thwart, avoid or destroy common anti-armor threats such shoulder-fired anti-tank guided missiles.  Scout and infantry support, perhaps aided by ground and air unmanned reconnaissance technologies, will increasingly place tank crews in a position to “see,” “find,” and “know” potential ambush locations at greater stand-off ranges. 

New Tactics Improve Survivability 

The U.S. Army is also planning to ensure survivability and lethality by massively adjusting its tactics and maneuver formations to align with a new generation of weapons and networking technologies. 

Operating air and ground drones in the line of enemy fire, sending large robotic vehicles to clear tank ditches and breach obstacles, and using long-range, high-fidelity sensors to maneuver and target enemies in more dispersed formations are all newer tactical mission possibilities now envisioned for the M1E3 main battle tank. 

Army and industry innovators are working on ways to integrate new technologies and tactics designed to enable a new generation of tank platforms to remain lethal in a new post-Ukraine-war threat environment. While an armored ability to deliver massive firepower, unparalleled survivability, and mechanized assault missions still very much characterizes the operational scope of Army tanks, technology, networking, and unmanned systems are expanding their potential combat applications, thereby multiplying or enhancing their impact on warfare.

Tanks for a New Generation of War

There appear to be many reasons why the tank is here to stay, particularly an upgraded, lightweight next-gen variant such as the M1E3.  Modern applications of what could be identified as traditional Combined Arms Maneuver using heavier platforms such as tanks continues to show great combat effectiveness, particularly when paired with reconnaissance and targeting units, advanced ISR and a new generation of networking and command and control technology.

New Combined Arms Maneuver

Mechanized assault, something aligned with the Army Wide Area Maneuver concept of operation, not only continues to occupy a key place in modern warfare but will arguably take on even more tactical relevance in coming years as emerging technologies in the areas of unmanned systems, AI-enabled computing, sensor image fidelity, target-data transmission contribute to more survivable attack formations and the successful application of longer-range precision weaponry.  

Army Research Laboratory scientists, for example, talked to Warrior a few years ago about breakthrough progress with AI-empowered technology able to autonomously land a drone on a moving tank using advanced sensing and machine learning.  to make the tank more effective and indispensable in modern land war. Recently, tanks and heavier armored vehicles were instrumental in generating the initial success of Ukraine’s Kursk offensive by using forward reconnaissance units likely in position to identify weak points in the Russian perimeter.What this demonstrates is that the firepower and pure mechanized attack “force” of a modern upgraded main battle tank, can perform critical, unique, much needed functions if used properly in a modern threat environment. This would seem to be particularly true in the case of the now-arriving much more agile M1E3 variant. It seems realistic that massively upgraded traditional tank platforms such as the M1A3 could use modern technologies, upgraded sensing and longer-range weapons to adapt tactics and remain extremely effective in a modern threat environment.

Certainly the heavier weight of the existing 70-ton Abrams can restrict mobility and the effective use of anti-armor weapons are changing tactics and concepts of operation for how best to employ tanks in combat. Nonetheless, there is a distinct combat value offered by tanks which is nearly impossible to replicate. The US Army seems to understand this, which is why it is both developing lighter-weight armored attack vehicles such as the M1E3 while also deploying upgraded traditional Abrams tanks as well. The prevailing US Army consensus seems to be that both approaches are greatly needed, and they can be greatly optimized by reinforcing and utilizing one another. 

Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University