The U.S. Army’s Abrams Tank Is Going Hybrid

• The legendary Abrams tank is getting a hybrid model.
• Designed by the U.S. Military and constructed by Roush, the diesel-hybrid M1E3 Abrams tank is lighter and extra environment friendly.
• It may be deployed rapidly in any a part of the world, the place it can be simply serviced.

The Abrams tank is extensively thought to be the perfect of its variety, but it surely’s getting a bit lengthy within the tooth, so america Military is attempting to breathe new life into the getting older battle machine.

That is the M1E3 Abrams, a state-of-the-art tank that makes use of the newest and best when it comes to know-how, which incorporates–gasp–a hybrid powertrain. The primary early prototype of the hybridized Abrams debuted on the Detroit Auto Present final week, the place U.S. Military officers claimed some spectacular effectivity positive aspects and a severe weight discount over the outgoing M1 Abrams.

However first, let me handle the elephant within the room. Gone is Honeywell’s 1,500-horsepower turbine engine, and as a replacement is a Caterpillar C13D diesel engine that may simply be serviced all over the place on the planet. If one thing went mistaken with the previous Abrams’ engine, it needed to be shipped to an enormous military base to be serviced, however the Caterpillar engine within the M1E3, which makes 690 horsepower in inventory type, is extensively utilized in industrial and heavy equipment world wide, so spare components are a lot simpler to search out.

The Allison Transmission can also be out of the image, with the Military going for a hybridized SAPA transmission that integrates an electrical drive unit. It may well use the combustion engine and the electrical motor on the similar time or individually, permitting the three-man crew to sit down silently in wise areas whereas additionally having the whole lot powered on.

Alex Miller, the U.S. Military’s chief know-how officer, instructed The Quick Lane Truck that the M1E3 Abrams is about 20% to 30% lighter than the outgoing mannequin. This, coupled with the hybrid powertrain, leads to an enormous enchancment in gas effectivity of as much as 50%. The traditional Abrams can tip the scales at over 80 tons when absolutely loaded, whereas the M1E3 hybrid will weigh not more than 60 tons–at the least, that’s what the Military is focusing on.

The brand new Abrams can also be extra tech-heavy than ever earlier than. Its techniques run on a custom-made software program structure that allows the Military to combine all the newest and best techniques. This contains microphones that may choose up drones from afar, and a 360-degree digital camera system.

Picture by: U.S. Military

The tank was designed to be pushed with a yoke-style wheel that has a number of buttons, which could be mapped similar to on a PlayStation controller, relying on what equipment are mounted on the automobile.

It’s all fairly cool, but it surely’s value mentioning that the M1E3 continues to be in its prototype part. Miller stated that the Military continues to be what sort of high-voltage battery might be built-in, and that it’s each standard lithium-ion and lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistries. The prototype drives, and it could actually shoot, but it surely has but to undergo the certification course of–that’s anticipated to begin this month.

The Marine Corps can also be trying to change its fleet of getting older Oshkosh MTVRs with new, extra environment friendly hybrid vehicles. The Oshkosh-made vehicles went into service in 2001, however two corporations, Mack and ND Protection, are within the operating to create a contemporary alternative.

Picture by: The Quick Lane Truck by way of YouTube