what is the main battle tank of the us army

America's main rivals are developing and fielding their own advanced tanks, some boasting technologies that even the M-1A2SEPV3 lacks. It's more important than ever for the Army to hang on to every possible technological advantage. Read more: The Army's Futuristic Guard Posts Are Trailers with Pop-Up Gun Turrets

'This ability to shave seconds off the first effective engagement can mean the difference between life and death,' McFarland said. Old-style rounds had to be configured manually. Once the loader has shoved the round into the cannon's breach, the crew taps a command into the V3 tank's computer-and the tank instantly tells the shell how it needs to explode. Kyle McFarland, then overseeing tank-ammo development for the Army, said in 2016. 'Having one round for multiple targets saves critical time for soldiers in combat since they will always have an effective round for whatever target they identify,' Lt. Instead of spending seconds rooting around for the right round, the loader on an M-1-A2SEPV3's four-person crew can just grab one of the smart rounds. In so doing, the new round replaces at least four existing rounds-each purpose-built for a specific target.

The roughly 50-pound AMP round instantly reconfigures itself depending on the target the vehicle crew is aiming at-adjusting its fuse for, say, piercing an enemy tank's own armor, punching through a wall, hitting a helicopter in mid-flight, or raining down lethal fragments on soldiers hiding in a foxhole. The new tank is the first in the ground combat branch's inventory to come with a digital datalink that makes it compatible with the Army's Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) smart cannon round. The V3 introduces an important new weapon to the Army's arsenal.

The Army asked Congress to fund 56 V3 tanks for around $20 million apiece in 2018, according to budget documents. 'Principal improvements are in lethality, survivability and sustainability,' Don Kotchman, a vice president at General Dynamics Land Systems, which builds the M-1, told Jane's. In fact, the tank boasts stronger armor, better electronics, and more efficient propulsion and power systems than on previous tanks, making it, in effect, a brand-new vehicle.

What is the main battle tank of the us army