The M1 Abrams tank, which is now 40 years old, just received a slew of new upgrades,
which could keep it operational for decades to come. The tank from the 1970s has been given a
complete makeover to become a true 21st-century vehicle, and this week saw the introduction of
the AbramsX, which is the result of that redesign. If put into production, the tank might not need
replacement until the 2050s or even later. A video posted on YouTube by General Dynamics
Land Systems on Saturday gave viewers their first look at the next-generation AbramsX tank,
which would later be officially unveiled by the aerospace and defense company at the 2022
Association of the United States Army convention in Washington, District of Columbia. During the
Army's annual convention, new ideas and doctrines, as well as new pieces of hardware that the Army
may buy in the future, are usually shown to the service. It's important to note that the AbramsX
program isn't an official Army project. Instead, it's a private project led by the manufacturer.
An Overview of the M1 Abrams Tank The M1 Abrams was made by Chrysler Defense, which
is now known as General Dynamics Land Systems. It came out in 1979 to replace the main battle tanks
that came before it. The M60 Patton was the last in a line of tanks used by the United States Army
that began with the M26 Pershing in 1945. Each new tank, from the M26 to the M46, M47, M48, and M60,
was a natural progression from the one before it. The M1, on the other hand, was a "clean sheet"
design that broke with the series altogether. It had an angular turret, armor made in Britain
called Chobham, a new ballistic computer, an early thermal imager, and a gasoline-powered turbine
engine. The result was a tank that was better in every way: it was more resistant to bullets,
faster, sleeker, and could fight in the dark. There has been a parallel development on the
M1 itself. The A1 upgrade, introduced in the late 1980s, included a new 120-millimeter main
gun and depleted uranium armor, which, despite being bulky, greatly improved armor protection.
The M1A2 has been gradually improved with things like a separate thermal viewer for the commander,
a "silent watch" feature that lets the vehicle use its thermal sights even when it is turned off,
better ballistic protection for the crew, explosive reactive armor to protect against
shaped-charge weapons, a digital backbone, a digital ammunition datalink, and, most recently,
the Trophy active protection system. How has AbramsX evolved recently?
With the release of the AbramsX, which has a completely new interior and exterior to fit
cutting-edge technology, the M1 Abrams main battle tank has been updated in a big way.
Traditional tank features like firepower, armor, and mobility have all been greatly
improved. Let's go over those features, as well as a few others, in that order.
The XM360 120-millimeter gun, as it has been dubbed on social media,
will replace the M256 120-millimeter gun in the next-gen tank's main armament. The XM360
was created for the Future Combat Systems program, which spent $18 billion trying to
replace the Army's existing armored vehicles but only managed to create a single working
vehicle. The XM360 can fire the same rounds as the older M256 because they are of the same caliber.
To further mitigate recoil, the XM360's muzzle is equipped with a "pepperpot" muzzle brake.
Titanium and composites are used to lighten the gun system, which in turn lightens the vehicle.