Following a recent statement, the United States Army has tested the upgrades to the M1A2 Abrams tank to ensure and update the capabilities of the units without degrading other aspects of the vehicle’s performance.
Although the exact dates of the tests were not mentioned, it is noted that the vehicles were tested at the Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), a location chosen for conducting such evaluations since 1970. During this round of tests, the new fire control software was assessed, aimed at improving the speed and accuracy of the 120 mm gun, the .50 caliber and 7.62 machine guns, and the grenade launchers on the platform. These tests were conducted over two simulated 80 km missions, where evaluators checked the vehicle’s positioning system using reference points.
In terms of weapon performance, the team used four firing scenarios: shooting at a stationary target while stationary, shooting at a moving target while stationary, shooting at a stationary target while in motion, and shooting at a moving target while in motion. In all scenarios, the evaluators assessed the turret stability and the accuracy of the weapon systems at various distances.
Currently, the U.S. Army is undergoing a series of modernization plan reforms, taking into account the performance of the M1A1 Abrams deployed on the front lines in the Russia-Ukraine war. This reformation of modernization plans, along with the experience gathered from the performance of this variant, will inform the development of the future version known as the M1E3 Abrams, which is still in the design phase.
Although no further details are available, this version of the Abrams is expected to incorporate the improvements and solutions adopted in the SEP v4 along with an open architecture design, allowing for the continuous incorporation of future upgrades.
You may also like: The U.S. gives Ukraine’s Armed Forces the green light to use ATACMS ballistic missiles against Russian territory
