Key Points and Summary – The M1A2 SEPv3 is the U.S. Army’s critical bridge to the next generation of tank warfare, designed to prove the main battle tank’s relevance in an era of drones and anti-tank missiles.
-This upgraded Abrams features significantly enhanced survivability, including the Trophy Active Protection System, and more lethal firepower with its advanced 120mm cannon.
-Following the disappointing performance of older Abrams models in Ukraine, the SEPv3 must demonstrate that a modernized tank can still dominate the battlefield and successfully transition the Army to the future AbramsX platform of 2040.
Will the Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 Prepare the Army for War in 2040?
Do you ever think about tank warfare in 2040? That’s our job here at National Security Journal.
We are approaching the era of lasers that can fry enemy armored vehicles and a time when tanks become drone motherships.
Quantum computing will power the software for the best command and control mechanisms in the history of tank warfare.
How to Reach the Level of the AbramsX?
So what does the US Army have up its sleeve to transition to this whiz-bang era? There’s the new next-generation AbramsX technology demonstrator that we have profiled extensively. That model is exciting, but there needs to be a bridge to get there. The newfangled AbramsX is still undergoing final touches before it enters active duty as part of the M1E3 next-generation tank program.
The SEPv3 is the Bridge to 2040
The Army plans to improve the base model Abrams variants to pave the way for the time when the new tanks will roam the battlefield and search for prey. The model that will square the circle is called the Abrams M1A2 SEPv3.
Taking the Lethality Concept to Extremes
The SEPv3 is a marvel in its sophistication and groundbreaking innovations. This platform will be what Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth always preaches—the utmost in lethality. The SEPv3 will also be more survivable than other M1A2s. There will be new optics for 365-degree sensing of enemy targets and threats. This technology will enhance survivability on the battlefield.
The SEPv3 arrives at a time when critics have targeted the main battle tank as a relic from a bygone era. I’m a traditionalist who still believes in the overall efficacy of mechanized warfare, especially with combined arms with infantry fighting vehicles. But as my teenage son likes to say, “Dad, you are an old man behind the times.”
M1 Abrams Endured Tough Sledding in Ukraine
Can the SEPv3 serve to transform the way we fight until the AbramsX and its progeny proliferate? The Army thinks it can better survive all of the threats from anti-tank missiles and kamikaze loitering drones.
This new battlefield dynamic presents a challenge for battle planners. The United States gifted Ukraine 31 M1 Abrams tanks—older variants to be sure—but they were almost all destroyed, damaged, or even captured by the Russians. This disappointing performance has even optimists like me wondering if tank warfare is a thing of the past.
Some of the SEPv3 will be familiar to old-time tankers who once called their Abrams tanks home. There is still a crew of four. The interior will be the same. The turret is still in the center, and the engine is in the rear. This format will help personnel maintain the tank more effectively.
Soldiers will notice that the communication system has been modified to streamline interoperability.
The Firepower Has the ‘Wow Factor’
The armaments are impressive, and Army-Technology.com describes them best. “The main gun fitted on the MBT is an M256 120mm smoothbore cannon, which can fire M829A4 advanced kinetic energy and advanced multi-purpose (AMP) rounds to defend armored vehicles, personnel and low-flying aircraft. The tank features a low-profile common remotely operated weapon system (Crows) installed with a 12.7mm machine gun. A 7.62mm M240 machine gun is also mounted coaxially with the main gun.”
The SEPv3 operators will ooze with confidence with all that firepower. There is nothing like awesome firepower to improve the morale of the crew. Gunnery will be improved, and soldiers will compete in various competitions on the training fields to prepare for real combat.
The SEPv3 will undergo readiness iterations at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, for realistic battle drills against a notional enemy, preparing for the real thing.
The see-first, shoot-first mentality will be refined with the use of futuristic, forward-looking infrared (IFLIR) technology to better identify and track targets. This is better than the second-generation FLIR that comes standard on early-model Abrams MBTs.
Mines and IEDs are still a problem, along with the drones as mentioned earlier, and anti-tank missiles, plus mines and IEDs. For better protection against these threats, the SEPv3 will feature the CREW Duke V3 counter-remote-controlled IED electronic warfare system. The Trophy Active Protection System will provide the crew with increased survivability against drones, rockets, and anti-tank guided missiles.
The SEPv3 will achieve enviable speed and acceleration thanks to the familiar Honeywell AGT1500 gas turbine engine, which produces 1,500 horsepower.
Partner countries also want the SEPv3 upgrades. There are deals in the works with Poland and Australia. Poland is significant due to its membership in NATO and its proximity to Russia. Australia needs the wherewithal to protect the homeland against threats from China.
The SEPv3 is an important addition to combined arms warfare. It will need to be survivable and dominant to transition the Army to the new AbramsX and its brethren. While the SEPv3 probably won’t be around in the 2040s, it will have to prove its mettle in the next five years and prove to the critics that tanks are still needed on the battlefield.
The US Marine Corps has rid itself of all Abrams tanks, believing that the leathernecks need to return to their amphibious and expeditionary roots. The Army is not giving up on the MBT. So, the SEPv3 has its work cut out to prove that the Abrams tank remains a viable asset. 2040 is coming sooner than you think, and the SEPv3 can help transform the battlefield until a new era of armored combat comes to a battlefield near you.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
More Military
F-20 Tigershark: The Best Fighter Jet You Never Heard Of
Ken Lawson
August 30, 2025 at 12:42 pm
Abrams have a weight and track problem. If those aren’t fixed it’s just another piece of expensive, complex and maintenance intensive piece of junk.
Not sure why Australia thinks it needs any tanks much less, new tanks.