https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xnd9fcgEuaw
The Chieftain Interviews a project lead on the M1E3 program. Seems very sensible and down to earth what the Army wanted.
Beat me to the punch.
SepV4 is dead they have ~24 or so of them and that's it.
Current M1A2 baseline for the Army is the SepV3
Th M1E3 is an early prototype/tech demonstrator
Unmanned turret (BIG change for the US Army). If that sticks it'll probably mean the upcoming Europanzer disaster (Franco/German tank) will probably be a remote turret too.
3 man crew (ask the French, Japanese and S. Koreans how they manage)
3 guys up front in a capsule, ohh NO MORE TORSION BARS (external hydragas suspension units)
Autoloaders... Meggit figured it out ~25 years ago, the French did 35 years ago.
Still using the standard 120mm from the M1A2 SePv3
It'll be a solid 7 tons lighter than the SepV3 which is a great amount although I have a feeling they'll try and cut a solid 10 tons.
Caterpillar diesel engine w/ hybrid drivetrain (this is be a GIGANTIC fuel efficiency improvement). Also a reason the torsion bars were dropped.. Reading between the lines, the Army didn't want to buy a foreign engine.
This is probably the most important tank program the US Army has initiated since the OG XM1
Note that the unmanned turret means if your sensors are occluded/destroyed the tank is a total mission kill.
The M1/A1/A2 all have a nifty backup telescopic sight on the gun mantled
AbramsX was just a GDLS tech demo (eg. XM360 on that canon isn't finished..... Yet)
So the current M256 is JUST fine especially seeing the hilarious state of Russian armor in Ukraine.
That said they'll probably love a lighter, higher performance gun in the future.
The program seems to be coming along well and hasn't gotten assaulted by the Good Idea fairy (I'm actually SHOCKED). LOADS of COTS or in production parts on the M1E3.
Edit, there is mention of the notional 2 man crew of the XM30..... JESUS CHRIST that is a stupid idea