U.S. Army Armor School receives newest M1 Abrams tank variant

The United States Army Armor School has received a batch of Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Package Version 3 (SEPv3) main battle tanks.

The 52nd Armor Commandant of Army Armor School announced on its Twitter account that new M1A2 SEPv3 tanks arrived at Fort Benning.

“Our new M1A2 SEPv3s arrived and we excited,” the command said in a Twitter post Wednesday.

“More will arrive later this spring,” the message added. “Our instructors can’t wait to start training our students and trainees on these beasts!”

The M1A2 SEPv3 the latest variant of the legendary Abrams tank. This version rectifies many of space, weight and power issues identified during Operation Iraqi Freedom and will be the foundational variant for all future incremental upgrades.

In addition to having improved survivability, the Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 can host any mature technology the Army deems operationally relevant. Improvements focus on increasing the electrical power margin, Vehicle Health Management Systems, integrated counter-improvised explosive device protection, a new Auxiliary Power Unit, embedded training and an ammunition data link. It is the most reliable Abrams tank ever produced, will decrease the Army’s logistic burden, and leads the Army in enterprise-level connectivity to maintenance and supply systems.

With its manually loaded, 120mm M256 smoothbore cannon, the Abrams can overmatch against armored vehicles, personnel and even low-flying aircraft.

In addition, earlier in December 2020, U.S. defense contractor General Dynamics Land Systems was awarded a $4.6 billion contract to produce M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams main battle tanks for the U.S. Army.