Soldiers assigned to Crazy Horse Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division test the XM-1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) round. (Photo by Captain Tobias Cukale, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division; color modified by Major Michael Brabner, US Army Operational Test Command)
A US Army M1A2 Abrams main battle tank with a nearly full 120mm combat load XM1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) tactical duty rounds prior to an operational test combat mission. (Photo by Major Michael P. Brabner, Test Officer, Directorate of Maneuver Testing, United States Operational Test Command)
Sgt. Juan Segura, artilleryman for Crazy Horse Tank Crew 2, Charlie Company “Crazy Horse”, 1st Battalion “Fighting Eagles” of the 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, helps his crew to load a 120 mm XM1147 Advanced Multi -Purpose (AMP) in its M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams Main Battle Tank at Direct Fire Range, Yuma Test Center, Arizona. (Photo by Major Michael P. Brabner, Test Officer, Directorate of Maneuver Testing, United States Operational Test Command)
By Major Michael P. Brabner, Test Officer, Branch Maneuver Testing, US Operational Test Command
Yuma Testing Center, Arizona. – Deep in the desert here, two tank crews from Ivy Division of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team recently tested the Army’s newest 120mm tactical duty round.
In over 112 degree heat, they simulated combat missions with full, ready-to-use combat loads of the XM-1147 Advanced Multipurpose Round (AMP) for their M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks against a multitude threatening real and simulated targets.
Tank crew 1 commanded by 2sd Lieutenant Jake Hall, with Gunnery Sgt. Spencer Vanderbilt, Charger Pvt. Dalton Diserio and Driver Pvt. Justin Jones not only knows what it’s like to deploy in a fully loaded combat tank on an operationally realistic simulated mission, but they’ve also witnessed the firepower that the AMP ride brings. in combat.
“This ride is not something to be taken lightly,” said Vanderbuilt, of Charlie “Crazy Horse,” 1st Battalion “Fighting Eagles” of 8e Infantry regiment.
“Being able to see and then destroy guided anti-tank missile targets beyond 2000 meters, then immediately breach walls or obstacles is an incredibly powerful feeling!”
“We now know what it feels like to deploy in a fully combat-loaded tank in operationally realistic combat missions and recognize how important the AMP turn will be to the US Army’s ABCT combat forces in the field. the battles that remain to be waged, ”Hall added.
Tank Crew 2, commanded by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Smearman, with Gunnery Sgt. Juan Segura, CPS loader. Blake Phillips and Driver Pvt. Adam Allwine also unleashed the AMP’s fury on the same multitude of targets in the Yuma Desert.
Phillips said he was amazed at the performance and impressive power of the AMP round.
“The lethality of the Abrams tank has been re-vAMP’ed!” he said.
The capabilities of the AMP round included the new airburst mode and breaking the double reinforced concrete walls.
After firing more than 90 AMP rounds at anti-tank guided missile teams, mass infantry, infantry fighting vehicles and bunker targets, Crazy Horse’s armor crews unanimously agreed that the training conducted during the test was the best of their careers.
The tankers pushed against each other, testing the AMP trick in what turned into a competitive shooting competition in the Yuma Desert, day and night.
Master Gunner Test Team Vehicle Crew Assessor Sgt. Joel Ramirez, of the U.S. Army Operational Testing Command based out of Fort Hood, Texas, said the purpose of operational testing is to collect performance data and feedback from Soldiers to inform the decision to purchase the l army regarding the AMP cycle.
“We do this by asking tank crews to use the tactical duty cycle in a way and in an environment that closely mimics combat conditions,” Ramirez said.
He then explained how 3rd ABCT tank crews fired on 8 complex modified tank artillery combat scenarios during the four-day record test.
“Despite the extreme desert heat, dust storms and gusty rain, the Crazy Horse crews really impressed me with their level of motivation and determination to test the AMP cycle,” said Mr. Kent Evans, Maneuver Requirements Division soldier and Fort Benning capabilities representative. , Georgia.
The XM-1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) was designed to improve a tank crew’s ability to perform missions with greater lethality and survivability, according to Project Engineer Jeff McNaboe in chief, program manager for Maneuver Ammunition Systems.
Developed by engineers at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, the Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) cycle replaces 4 legacy duty cycles.
An XM-1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) round test shot showing its effectiveness against a reinforced concrete wall. (US Army photo)
Three XM-1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) cartridges fired will create a breach large enough to pass through a reinforced concrete wall. (US Army photo)
In aerial burst mode, the XM-1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) pulverizes the ground below with deadly shrapnel – note the dust thrown by the impacts. (US Army photo)
~~
About the U.S. Army Operational Test Command:
Operational testing began on October 1, 1969, and as the military’s only independent operational tester, OTC celebrates “50 Years of Operational Testing”. The unit operates the “total army” (active, national guard and reserve) when testing army, joint and multiservice combat systems in realistic operational environments, using typical soldiers to determine if the systems are effective, responsive and survivable. OTC is required by public law to test major systems before they are put into service to its end customer – the US soldier.
The Maneuver Testing Directorate (MTD), based in Fort Hood, Texas, is the primary branch of Operational Testing Command to conduct independent operational tests of infantry, armor and robotic systems to inform decisions acquisition and commissioning for the army and to select joint combat systems. Ready, ready and always capable, MTD has been and will remain the “go to” testing direction to provide Army Futures Command and senior US military leadership with the truthful feedback on the tests they need to take. informed decisions as to the capacities which will be brought to face future adversaries.
