TUSK to Update Abrams For Urban Battle

The US Army's M-1A1 Abrams tank is growing a TUSK - that's Tank Urban Survival Kit, a series of improvements, which will allow soldiers in the field to improve the Abrams' ability to survive in urban areas off the traditional battlefield for which it was designed.

Lt. Col. Michael Flanagan, US Army product manager for TUSK, said the goal is to help improve the tank's survivability. "You have to remember, the tank was a Cold War design, aimed at a threat that was always to its front. It's still the most survivable weapon in the arsenal from the front," Flanagan said. "Today it's a 360-degree fight, and these systems are designed to improve survivability in that urban environment."

The TUSK includes additional protection at the loader's gun station on the turret, the commander's gun station, reactive armour to protect the tank's side from attack by rocket-propelled grenades and slat armour to protect the tank's rear from the same weapon, and the tank/infantry telephone to allow infantry and armour soldiers to work together in combat.

Flanagan said all the proposed upgrades use "off the shelf" technology, and the goal is for the entire TUSK to be applied by units in the field, without requiring a return to a depot for modification. For example, the slat armour designed to protect the tank's rear from RPG attack is similar in design and concept to the slat armour used on the US Army's Stryker armoured vehicles, and now being retrofitted to Australian ASLAVs in Iraq for the same purpose.

At least some of the kits' components may also be included in new Abrams' production. "The loader's shield and the remote weapons station, and the tank/infantry telephone all may be included as regular production items in the tank," Flanagan said. "It's important to remember that the Abrams will continue to be the dominant weapons system for the Army until at least 2030."

The Australian Army has ordered 59 M-1A1 AIM Abrams tanks to replace its ageing fleet of Leopard AS1 tanks. Deliveries are due to begin in 2006.