General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) unveiled its impressive AbramsX battle tank technology demonstrator at the AUSA 2022. According to former military officials, it is the most significant upgrade of American military tank technology since the early days of the Cold War. While the AbramsX battle tank refers to the Abrams tank family, it’s more of a concept of the future generation of the main battle tank to nullify new threats the modern battlefield brings.
AbramsX Battle Tank Challenges And Improvements
Over the years, the Abrams tank has seen various changes but several issues remained, including the high cost to produce and maintain since it’s rather thirsty for fuel. In fact, the current breed of the Abrams tank requires more than a gallon of gas per mile travelled. In UK terms, that is around 3.7 litres per mile which is just a staggering amount.
Another issue is that it’s also not as nimble on the battlefield as lightweight armoured vehicles, such as the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. For some time now, General Dynamics has been working on solving those problems and the new AbramsX battle tank is the result of their tireless efforts.
Tim Reese, director of U.S. business development at General Dynamics said “the tank weighs roughly 10 tons less than current models in service”. He continued by stating that “its hybrid electric diesel engine would be 50% more fuel-efficient than the Abrams tanks the military uses now”.
AbramsX Battle Tank Design
The design is also different in some aspects. For example, instead of soldiers sitting in the turret at the top of tanks as is standard, they would sit inside the hull. The designers said that the AbramsX battle tank could operate with a three-person team, which is one fewer than the norm. Additionally, the AbramsX has enhanced armour to protect it against bombs dropped by drones.
The AbramsX battle tank sees three significant upgrades from the M1 Abrams tank:
- The hull with three crew hatches at the front
- An unmanned turret
- A powerpack at the rear
For a more detailed look at what’s on the AbramsX demonstrator, here is an up-to-date list from War Thunder.
Improved Armour
While the hull of the new AbramsX battle tank is shaped similarly to previous models, it’s safe to assume it will likely have more advanced armour along with several tech upgrades. For example, the turret no longer needs a human crew member as it’s now an active protection system designed to shoot down incoming rockets and missiles.
There is also a large panel on top of the turret – a blowout panel – which allows main gun ammunition stored in the turret to be released upwards and away from any potential crew members in case of detonation. This is another vital upgrade since the turret on some battle tanks would blow off when it was hit due to the ammunition heating up. In spite of all the upgrades, they’ve managed to reduce the weight significantly, from over 66 tons to just 49 tons.
New Weapons Systems
The AbramsX battle tank gets a host of new weapons systems as it seems the XM360 120-millimetre gun replaces the old M256 120-millimetre gun. While the XM360 is the same calibre and uses the same ammunition, it also uses a “pepperpot”-style muzzle brake for reduced recoil and improved accuracy.
The unmanned turret on the AbramsX is equipped with what appears to be an XM914 30-millimetre chain gun which replaces the M2 .50-caliber machine gun and the loader’s M240 7.62-millimetre machine gun. Mounted to a remotely operated gun system, the XM914 allows the crew to fire from inside the hull, aiming at night and through smoke using a thermal imaging system.
A Power Pack With Serious Performance
The AbramsX battle tank includes a hybrid power pack which reduces fuel consumption by 50%. It’s also the first Abrams tank to use a diesel engine as previous versions have always used petrol which caused major logistical issues as the rest of the military vehicle fleet uses diesel.
Shifting from turbines to a hybrid diesel-electric system, the AbramsX battle tank can operate its internal systems without relying on the loud turbine engine. This advanced tank could conduct some limited movements of around 500 metres on battery power alone – called “Silent Watch”.
The most likely engine option is the 6-cylinder 1,500 horsepower paired with a new 32-speed gear-shift system and improved suspension.
“The transmission for the AbramsX can take dual power inputs off the starter generator battery side and from the internal combustion engine that’s pretty unique, as it is something that didn’t exist 10 years ago,” said Reece.
What Other Technologies And Weapons Are Onboard?
Among others, some of the technologies on the AbramsX battle tank include the use of MUM-T or mobility, manned or unmanned teaming, new battlefield network and communication equipment as well as AI technology.
The integration of these is a result of the open digital architecture of the AbramsX with more details emerging on the tank launching Switchblade drones and controlling them using the advanced digital architecture/MUM-T functionality. The AbramsX come equipped with a host of countermeasures and optional armaments, including:
- an integrated Israeli-Trophy hard-kill APS system
- 36x smoke grenade launchers
- AN/VVR-4 Laser/Missile Warning Receiver
- Coaxial 7.62mm M240C Medium Machine Gun
- 30mm Kongsberg Protector RS6 Remote Weapon Station
- FGM-184 Javelin Missile System
AbramsX Battle Tank And Artificial Intelligence
The new AbramsX battle tank certainly looks ready for the future of warfare with its advanced features and capabilities. Among those is an artificial intelligence system that can identify targets on the battlefield using two independent scanners which are linked to the commander and gunner, each searching for potential threats.
According to Reese: “It can scan and look for anomalies. With a good enough image, it can get down to the model of a tank, and prioritize targets based on what is most dangerous.”
General Dynamics stated that Artificial Intelligence will help reduce the cognitive load on the smaller crew but it’s unclear exactly how. While they also said that the tank could operate alongside autonomous military vehicles, it might be difficult for a crew of 3 to operate the AbramsX battle tank and its autonomous partners but that’s probably where AI will come in.
Final Thoughts
The new AbramsX battle tank is packed with next-gen technologies that make it ready for the battlefields of the future. Among its features are an unmanned turret, a hybrid power pack that reduces fuel consumption by 50%, and the ability to operate its internal systems without relying on the loud turbine engine.
With a long list of defensive and offensive weapons systems and Artificial Intelligence that can identify targets in great detail, it’s undoubtedly an impressive piece of machinery; one that is certainly future-ready. Whether the US Army will consider the AbramsX battle tank for its fleet remains to be seen.
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