I've worried that our rush to build the Future Combat System would leave us without heavy armor and that we had no replacement for the Abrams on the board.
Well, in a way we do. The already excellent Abrams will be updated:
So now there's an M1A3 version of the M1 in the works. This would be a radical upgrade, compared to previous ones. It would even be possible to make the 62 ton M-1A2 a few tons lighter. This would involve a lightweight 120mm gun, which would allow for the installation of an autoloader, new fiber optic wiring, and new (and lighter) armor. A new engine and running gear would also save weight. The M-1A3 might get down to 55 tons, or less.
But the most important changes would be the new computers, communication, sensors and navigation gear intended for the unrealized FCS tank. The FCS vehicle was to use new heavy weapons, that fire guided projectiles to a range of 12 kilometers. These can also be mounted in the M-1A3.
There would be no new tanks built, just upgrades of existing ones. Nearly 9,000 M-1s were manufactured during the 1980s and 90s. The U.S. Army and Marines only use about 1,600 now, with foreign operators accounting for another 1,500. So there are plenty of older M-1s in storage, ready for upgrading. The M-1A3 could remain in service for another forty years or more.
Another forty years of service. Add electric armor to protect the vulnerable top, sides, and rear, and the M-1A3 could be top of the line for most of those forty years. I last read that Abrams would be around to 2027, and now even more improvements are planned.
Not that a lighter vehicle with direct fire capability won't be useful to bridge the gap between foot infantry and the M1-A3. But a light armored vehicle should be focused on tactical air movement and not strategic movement.
But I am glad to hear, after reading indications that the Army recognized the value of heavy armor, that evolved dinosaurs will roam the battlefields of the future and stomp on furry little mammals that get in their way.
