The U.S. Army is still investing in tanks. In fact, it is requesting $723.5 million in its fiscal year 2026 budget to build and develop the next Abrams upgrade: the M1E3.

That isn’t exactly what many expected to see in the wake of drone warfare’s rise. After all, even advanced Western tanks are taking losses in Ukraine. Hundreds of videos of tank turrets being blasted skyward from top-attack munitions and FPV drone strikes have sparked a growing debate about whether manned, tracked armor still has a place on the battlefield.

Rather than walking away from tanks as the Marine Corps did, the Army wants to bring the 45-year-old lynchpin of U.S. armored warfare into the 21st century with the M1E3 Abrams. This upgrade is meant to produce a lighter and more modular platform that is built to sur

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