USA to Start M1E3 Tank Trials in 2026 Before Full Completion

The US Army plans to begin testing M1E3 tank prototypes in the summer of 2026—five years earlier than originally planned. The vehicles will be refined and upgraded directly within operational military units.

Breaking Defense reports that the Army is choosing an early testing approach rather than waiting for the tank to fully meet all design requirements.

US Army Chief of Staff General Randy George said the aim is to allow soldiers in field units to “plug in and use” different hardware and software components as they become available.

According to the general, this will allow soldiers to test different hardware and software components and determine which ones work best.

“When a supplier comes in and says, ‘I have something better for active protection, a better engine, a lighter transmission to achieve the required performance,’ soldiers can simply, so to speak, plug it in and use it,” Randy George told journalists at the Detroit Auto Show.

According to him, the previous system was built around the principle of “doing nothing until every possible risk is eliminated,” which, he said, led to excessively long development timelines.

In addition to the new testing approach, US Army Chief Technology Officer Alex Miller told Breaking Defense that the M1E3 schedule was also accelerated thanks to a new procurement model.

It is based on a “team of teams” approach, under which there is no single prime contractor. Instead, multiple companies work jointly on the project, most of them non-traditional commercial suppliers.

George said that more than 10 companies are involved in developing the new tank. Caterpillar is producing the engine, SAPA the transmission, Recaro the seats, while General Dynamics used an existing Abrams model to develop the vehicle’s external design.

Roush played a major role in developing the entire vehicle, including the crew compartment; American Rheinmetall contributed lightweight track components; and Moog developed the slip ring.

Overall, the US Army plans to deliver four M1E3 tank prototypes to operational units in the summer of 2026, which is five years earlier than the previous plan to deliver prototypes in 2031.

As for when the tank will be fully ready for operational use and mass deployment, Army acquisition chief Brent Ingram said the service still needs “a bit more work” to “determine the exact timeline.”