According to a tweet released by GREYWOLF Brigade on August 18, 2020, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the U.S. Army has conducted first live firing exercise with the M1A2 SEP V3 now named M1A2C, the latest generation of main battle tank in the family of M1A2 Abrams family.
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First Round on the new U.S. Army M1A2 SEP V3 main battle tank. (Picture source GREYWOLF Brigade Twitter account)
The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division ("Third Grey Wolf Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division") is a combined arms armored brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division of U.S Army. Their major combat vehicle includes M1A2 SEP Tanks, M2A3 & M3A3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, M109A6 Paladin howitzers, and M1114 up-armored Humvees.
The 8th Cavalry is a regiment of the United States Army formed in 1866 during the American Indian Wars.
In July 2020, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, were the first to receive the U.S. Army’s newest version of the M1 Abrams Tank, the M1A2C (SEP v.3) at Fort Hood, Texas.
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.
The Abrams fleet of the U.S. Army consists of two variants: the M1A1 SA (Situational Awareness) and the M1A2 SEP V2 (System Enhancement Program) version 2. The M1A2 SEP v3, the latest variant in production, is now in service with the U.S. Army. It will be followed by another variant, the M1A2D, which is in initial development.
The M1A2 SEP V3 rectifies many of the space, weight, and power issues identified during Operation Iraqi Freedom and will be the foundational variant for all future incremental upgrades. In addition to having improved survivability, the Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 can host any mature technology the Army deems operationally relevant. Improvements focus on increasing the electrical power margin, Vehicle Health Management Systems, integrated counter-improvised explosive device protection, a new Auxiliary Power Unit, embedded training, and an ammunition data link. It is the most reliable Abrams tank ever produced, will decrease the Army’s logistic burden, and leads the Army in enterprise-level connectivity to maintenance and supply systems.
