The side profile of the tank appears to resemble the AbramsX demonstrator from General Dynamics Land Systems more closely than the M1E3 test vehicle publicly shown in January. The rendering shows a clearly redesigned unmanned turret with a new shape.
The tank retains the 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun as its main armament, probably in a modernized version. The gun is likely paired with a coaxial machine gun.
The main armament is supplemented by a light turret mounted on the roof of the main turret. This secondary turret carries a 30 mm Northrop Grumman M230LF cannon chambered for 30×113 mm ammunition.
The 30 mm weapon could be used to engage unmanned aerial vehicles. The configuration would in effect make the vehicle a two-turret tank.
A structure is visible in a basket behind the turret bustle, although its purpose is not fully known. It may be a container for an unmanned aerial vehicle intended for reconnaissance.
The active protection system shown on the vehicle is expected to be XM251, later designated M251. This is an Americanized version of Israel’s Elbit Systems Iron Fist.
The system is to be produced by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. It is not known why the U.S. Army moved away from the Rafael ADS Trophy HV system currently used on Abrams tanks, mainly the M1A2 SEPv3, in favor of a development of Iron Fist selected for the M2A4E1 Bradley.
The XM251 system is also planned to be installed around 2028 on Stryker wheeled armored vehicles and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. Its selection for the M1E3 suggests a common protection approach across several U.S. Army vehicle families.
The hull has also been visibly modernized and may be entirely new. The spacing between the first and second road wheel pairs appears clearly larger than on previous Abrams tanks.
That change may indicate a lengthened hull designed to accommodate an armored crew capsule. The crew is expected to sit side by side in a semi-reclined position, similar to the current position of the Abrams driver.
The tank is expected to use a hybrid powertrain. The U.S. Army is due to receive three additional vehicles for testing by the summer.
Those vehicles will probably differ significantly from the pre-prototype demonstrated in the winter. They may also differ from each other, possibly to test different technical solutions.
The vehicles will undergo intensive trials before a decision is made on the final configuration of the Abrams successor. Despite the M1E3 designation, and the planned M1A3 designation, the vehicle is expected to be a completely new tank.
The testing is expected to last at least one year. If major delays do not occur and the concept does not change, the new tank could enter service around 2030.
