The Upgraded Abrams – Now Officially the M1A2C
Formerly known as the M1A2 SEPv3, the latest iteration of the US Abrams main battle tank has now been officially re-designated the M1A2C. The C model boasts a range of improvements, many drawn from experience with the TUSK (Tank Urban Survival Kit) but also with an awareness that near-future conflicts may well see the Abrams deployed against its Russian or Chinese contemporaries.
The M1A2C has received an additional classified armour package along with the Israeli designed Trophy active protection system that can neutralise anti-tank guided missiles and RPG warheads along with traditional High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) main gun rounds fired by enemy tanks. It also features classified counter-improvised explosive device systems as standard.
The Abrams’ Rheinmetall M256 120mm main gun is now supported by a system called Ammunition Data Link (ADL) allowing proximity fusing decided by the tank crew and based on the environment and target they are engaging. The newly issued XM1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) round, which is replacing both the M830 HEAT and the M830A1 Multi-Purpose Anti-Tank (MPAT), is designed to work seamlessly with the ADL allowing the choice of functions including ‘Airburst’, ‘Point Delay’ and ‘Point Detonate’.
As the names suggest, these settings allow the AMP to be detonated above a target (against infantry or soft-skins in the open for example), after penetrating a set distance into a target (perfect for bunker busting) or the traditional detonation upon impact (against armoured vehicles for instance).
Along with advancements in ammunition and fire control, the latest Abrams has upgraded sensors in the form of third generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sights for the gunner and tank commander, colour closed circuit cameras and the AN/VVR-4 laser warning system that alerts the crew should the vehicle be ‘painted’ by an enemy targeting laser. All of these improvements have not come without an increase in weight with the final M1A2C model expected to add several tons of additional weight. To compensate for this, the drive train and auxiliary power unit have been upgraded as has its famed gas turbine engine.