Troopers with 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, are first to receive the Army’s newest version of the M1 Abrams Tank, the M1A2C (SEP v.3), Fort Hood, Texas, July 20, 2020. The overall modernization of the Greywolf brigade marks a milestone in armed forces history and makes 3ABCT the most lethal and agile brigade in the world. The new addition of the M1A2C (SEP v.3) allows the brigade, and Army, to meet new limits when fighting adversaries and engaging in large-scale ground combat operations. Over the course of the next few weeks Greywolf Troopers will become familiar with the new equipment.
“This is the first time we have fielded a new tank in about 16 years,” said Lt. Col. Nicholas C. Sinclair, Commander of 3rd Batt. 8th Cav. Reg. “We will be the first ones trained on this so it’s really special to us to make sure we’re doing it right.”
“These are lightyears ahead of the tanks we had before,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kurt Singer, a platoon sergeant in the Greywolf brigade. “The computer systems in these and the fire-control systems are amazing. You become more lethal, more aggressive, and all aspects of the tanks are better.”
“The Soldier makes the vehicle, the vehicle doesn’t make the Soldier,” said Singer. “We train harder than anyone else, and it shows.”
Inside every M1A2C (SEP v.3) main battle tank is an imbedded trainer that allows the Troopers to get repetitions in while the main battle tank is stationary rather than moving to a new location to conduct simulated training. The imbedded trainer is one of many modernizations made to the tank, but it’s not the only thing that makes it superior to its predecessors. There are updated firing systems that help build combat power as well. The Troopers will soon take the tanks to the field and conduct gunnery live-fire exercises where they will have the chance to prove themselves as the most lethal armored brigade in the world.
The M1A2 Abrams SEP v3 (System Enhanced Package) is a modernized version of the M1A2 SEPV v2 main battle tank that benefits from a number of upgrades in the areas of survivability, maintainability, full efficiency and network capability. The primary mission of the M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP) V3 Abrams is to provide mobile, protected firepower for combined-arms maneuver and wide-area security. This improvement in lethality for the Abrams M1A2 SEP V3 derives from the combination of developmental upgrades and the addition of mature technologies that include the Ammunition DataLink (ADL), improved 120mm ammunition, Improved Forward-Looking Infrared (IFLIR) and the low-profile (LP) Common Remotely Operated Weapon System (CROWS).
