The modernization of Abrams tanks continues in the USA. The M1A2S (M1A2 SEPv3) are currently considered the most advanced.
They received a more advanced fire control system, with the ability to use more powerful armor-piercing sub-caliber feathered projectiles with cores made of depleted uranium, programmable multipurpose XM1147 with aerial detonation, destroying not only ground objects (infantry, light armored vehicles), but also low-flying targets such as helicopters.
Communication facilities have been updated. Remote-controlled 12.7 mm machine gun mounts and protected auxiliary power plants are mounted.
The tanks have thoroughly reinforced the frontal armor of the turret, which can successfully resist many foreign anti-tank ammunition, including guided, with tandem warheads.
Israeli Trophy active protection systems began to be installed on these tanks, but this KAZ is not able to effectively intercept ammunition attacking the upper projections of combat vehicles (the thickness of the armor in the front of the tower reaches 70 mm and is only 40 mm in most of it).
As a result, the M1A2S are now, for example, vulnerable to the Chinese third-generation wearable anti-tank missile system Red Arrow-12 ("Red Arrow - 12"), piercing up to 1100 mm of armor. The range of the ATGM is 4000 meters during the day and 2000 meters at night.
Other roof-piercing ATGMs are also produced in China, for example, AFT-10. Heavy, weighing up to 150 kg, high-precision ammunition is capable of reaching the enemy already at distances up to 10,000 meters.
In many ways, a similar complex is also in service with the North Korean army, it was recently demonstrated at a weapons exhibition held in Pyongyang.
Among the exhibits presented at this event were also ATGMs, outwardly similar to those that function on the principle of "shot-forgot". However, some details about them have not yet been made public.
Last summer, Almaz (Almas) was also presented in Iran of the third generation. In the version for drones, it can hit at a distance of up to 8000 meters.
Alexey Moiseev
