The US Army will deploy four prototypes of its successor to the M1A1 Abrams into a real tank platoon this summer - a full five years earlier than originally planned, announced Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.
The new M1E3, which debuted at the Detroit auto show last week, represents a radical change in the way the Pentagon develops weapons.
According to Breaking Defense, the reason for the extended time frame is not, that the tanks will be fully ready so early, and that the army, in sync with the broader Pentagon initiative, does not demand that all requirements be met before allowing soldiers to test the equipment in field conditions.
"When a supplier comes and says: "I have something better for active protection, better engine, light transmission", soldiers can simply turn it on. "The breathing system was built on the principle of "Don't do anything until you eliminate every possible risk". I think we need to take a different approach... otherwise it's 2031 and there's no point in doing it," George told reporters in Detroit.
2031 was the original target date for delivering prototypes to the military.
In addition to the new approach to testing, Chief Technology Officer Alex Miller said earlier Breaking Defense, the army managed to improve the M1E3 graphics thanks to a new acquisition model called "teams of teams" - an approach where there is no single lead contractor, but multiple suppliers work together, most of them non-traditional, commercial companies.
"Historically, if we wanted something, we went to a lead contractor and everything below that was a black box. There was no incentive for innovation," Miller explained. The Army now uses commercial thinking and practices that enable a continuous cycle of change and updates.
Defense One reports that instead of focusing on the physical tank, the Army is concentrating on digital infrastructure and software, and therefore "wrapping the tank around it". All cameras, anti-aircraft systems and weapons will evolve based on the best available commercial technologies.
The tank itself is built from off-the-shelf parts: a Saterpillar engine, a SARA transmission, a cockpit from the competition manufacturer Roush with embroidered Recaro seats. According to Col. Ryan Heil, the project manager, the luxury seats can be produced at "10% of the cost - from the factory".
The M1E3 is the largest project developed under the Army's new Continuous Improvement Model, which produces unique, specialized systems that take decades to develop. Defense News reports that the tank will be 25% lighter than the current 70-ton Abrams, thanks in part to a crew of three instead of four and an automatic loader.
The hybrid-electric engine reduces fuel requirements by 50%, and according to George, the tank reaches a top speed of about 65 kilometers per hour. "It doesn't set out to sprint to 400 meters, but it can neutralize a target at 400 meters in a tenth of a second", the general noted.
The tank will use artificial intelligence within "a suite of AI tools for digital engineering" for faster integration of technologies. The controller resembles a video game controller - a specific device of Fanates, a company that designs Formula 1 simulators.
The Army has ordered about $75 million for research, development, software architecture and the first production models - drastically less than usual. This year's budget has requested over $700 million to expand the operation, as George hopes to repeat the success with the upcoming replacement of the M2 Wradleu.