US Army Fast-Tracks M1E3 Abrams Hybrid Tank for 2025 Prototype Delivery
The US Army is accelerating the development of its next-generation M1E3 Abrams tank, aiming to roll out an early prototype by late 2025.
The project marks a major redesign of the 40-year-old Abrams platform as the service pushes to modernize faster and adapt to new battlefield threats.
General Dynamics Land Systems, designer and producer of the original Abrams, is leading the program under a $150-million contract awarded in June.
Cutting Delays
Dr. Alex Miller, the US Army’s chief technology officer, said the service rejected an early plan that would have delayed the new tank until the 2030s.
“Very long story short, when we went — when the Chief [of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy George] and I went to Detroit, 18 months ago, the PEO team, at the time, said that we would not see the M1E3 until 2032. “And we said no,” The War Zone quoted Miller as saying.
He said that the army challenged its acquisition office and General Dynamics to produce a working prototype by the end of this year.
“If it is not a risk to a soldier’s life, limb, or eyesight, or hearing, we should be able to move those processes faster,” Miller said. “[There are] absolutely things we must do, but the process of just sort of staring at the problem for three or four years is asinine, and it is no longer acceptable.”
Hybrid Power, Easier Upkeep
The M1E3 configuration swaps the Abrams’ old gas turbine for a diesel-electric hybrid system expected to improve fuel efficiency by about 40 percent.
Built with Caterpillar and SAPA parts, the new engine relies on commercial components instead of custom-built ones to save time and cost.
“I can go from an engine that costs upwards of $1 million per [unit] right now…to something that is now commercially available — that a chief warrant officer in the division can grab a bunch of broken ones, go to the nearest Cat dealership in your country and go get it fixed for less than ten grand,” said Col. Ryan Howell, deputy head of the US Army’s Ground Combat Systems office, as reported by Defense News.
The M1E3 will weigh about 60 tons (54,431 kilograms), which is lighter than current variants, and feature active protection systems to guard against drones and anti-tank missiles.
Evaluations in 2026
The army verified that troops will test early models of the vehicle’s design next year to help refine the design.
“The reason we want to get the platoon out earlier is because we want the armor brigades to be able to tell us what works and what doesn’t,” Miller said.
“What we didn’t want to do is the first time that a tanker sees the new tank is [when] it’s done, you can’t change anything, and it’s six years from now.”
