by Kris Osborn, Warrior Maven Drone attacks from the air, top-down anti-tank guided missiles, hit-and-run ambushes from dispersed groups of armed soldiers and long-range enemy missiles and tank rounds…. are a few of the threats the Army’s new M1E3 60-ton tank will need to address. The explosion of AI and drone war is massively reshaping the landscape of modern warfare [https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id14416-us-may-launch-m1e3-abrams-tank-production-next-year], and the success of anti-armor weapons have led some to posit that perhaps the main battle tank has become obsolete. Perhaps heavy armor is simply too vulnerable to dismounted anti-armor weapons and drones to be considered relevant in modern war? The U.S. Army is seeking to address this problem and surge forward with a main battle tank adapted to a modern AI-and-drone-capable threat environment. One thing seems clear; with tactical and technological adjustments necessary [https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2026-01-09/new-tank-m1e3-abrams-detroit-auto-show-20354126.html] to accommodate modern warfare scenarios, the main battle tank is going nowhere. There is not another way to fully “breach” an enemy perimeter, maneuver to contact and actually seize and hold ground. Despite the success of anti-armor weapons and the destruction of tanks in the war in Ukraine, the arrival of heavily armored vehicles did help the Ukrainians take back ground from Russia during their previous counteroffensive. New Generation of Tank Some of the specific weapons, sensors and countermeasures being integrated onto the Army’s new tank are likely not available for security reasons, yet there are a wide range of threat areas the new platform will need to counter. One useful way to consider potential requirements for the M1E3 may pertain to the challenge areas associated with the 70-ton Abrams tanks, which the Army’s new platform may be well positioned to address. There are several key areas of focus to include on-board electrical power, weight and mobility, vulnerability to anti-armor weapons, deployability difficulties and countering the drone attack threat. For the purpose of context, [https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2026/01/army-unveils-new-tankfive-years-early/410833/] it seems one should remember that indeed the Abrams tank has proven invaluable to armored combat and achieved many historic battlefield successes such as its ability to destroy Iraqi T-72s in the Gulf War. It has a massive psychological “deterrent” effect and a heavy tank may be one of the few ways to truly “take” and “hold” enemy territory, something which was again demonstrated in Ukraine. The Abrams has also had success with Auxiliary Power Units designed to bring necessary increases in on-board power to support sensing, computing and C4ISR. Add-on armor kits improved survivability and the Abrams can now fire an advanced Multi-Purpose 120mm round able to combine multiple blast [https://www.motortrend.com/news/us-army-m1e3-abrams-prototype-first-look] effects into a single munition. For these and many other reasons, the Abrams tank is likely here to stay for many years, particularly given its growing ability to network with unmanned systems and improve survivability with top-down protections, drone launching and AI-enabled sensing, targeting and computing. Tanks are often distinguished by the range and fidelity of their “thermal sights,” something which enabled Abrams tanks to “see” and “target” Iraqi tanks from undetected distances during the Gulf War. This dynamic is likely why the M1A2 SEP v3 was engineered with 3rd-generation FLIR, or forward-looking infrared targeting technology, as it brought breakthrough range [https://en.defence-ua.com/news/us_army_outlines_potential_plans_to_produce_the_m1e3_abrams_in_2027-17966.html] and resolution to modern combat. Tank Adaptations The adaptations to the Abrams, which have taken place progressively over the course of many years, sought to address the kinds of deficits, liabilities and technical challenges which required upgrades to the platform; these areas of challenge are likely closely intertwined with the kinds of technologies and strategies informing M1E3 development. Therefore, the M1E3 is much faster and lighter at 60-tons, and therefore better suited for deployment and expeditionary operations. A smaller, lighter, faster tank will also of course be positioned to maneuver through urban areas, transit over bridges existing Abrams can’t transit and pass through narrowly configured passageways. Ideally, the M1E3s lighter weight can be achieved without comprising the classic survivability of the Abrams tanks, perhaps due to the discovery of lightweight composite [https://www.mlive.com/news/2026/01/us-army-unveils-m1e3-abrams-tank-prototype-at-detroit-auto-show.html] armor materials or a new generation of Active Protection Systems. Speed itself is of course also a survivability enhancing characteristic, and it's likely the M1E3 is engineered with advanced, hemispheric APS better positioned to counter drone attack and top-down anti-armor strikes. Counter-UAS must be a massive priority with the M1E3, given the extent to which tanks have been decimated in Ukraine by drones able to loiter then “attack” tanks from the air. These kinds of C-UAS technologies likely involve both kinetic interceptor missiles, APS-fired rounds to “stop” incoming munitions and possibly even lasers designed to incinerate or disable drones directly from the vehicle. EW, Lasers & Hybrid Electric Power Perhaps of even greater importance, it is nearly a certainty that the M1E3 will operate with new generations of EW, as advanced systems can now help deconflict the spectrum, identify enemy signatures and RF signals and “jam,” “disable” or even “take over” attacking drones. High-Powered Microwave weapons are also emerging quickly as a key area of focus when it comes to the challenges associated with countering drone attacks. It would not be surprising to learn that the M1E3 operates with AI-enabled C-UAS and threat-oriented computing able to find, verify and validate targets and pair them with an optimal countermeasure or effector … in milliseconds. By operating with a diesel-electric hybrid engine, the M1A3 will not only be more fuel efficient, and operate with silent “watch” capability, but it will benefit from large sources of on-board electrical power generated by the diesel-electric engine. This will bring necessary on-board electricity to support electronics, sensors, targeting and AI-enabled computing at lighter weights without needing to add APUs. Perhaps the largest area [https://militarnyi.com/en/news/united-states-army-reveals-key-changes-to-new-m1e3-abrams-unmanned-turret-diesel-engine-and-significantly-reduced-weight/]of difference with the M1A3 will be its ability to operate with ground and air robotic “wingmen” unmanned platforms and drones able to deliver ammunition, conduct highly critical reconnaissance and ISR in forward, hostile areas and even launch attacks when directed by a human. This greatly impacts and improves the survivability equation and can enable the M1A3 to almost operate like an extremely lethal, forward-operating, multi-domain command and control platform able to direct attacks from the forward edge of combat. Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 1945. Osborn is also 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
