AI Resilience Report forArmored Assault Vehicle Crew Members

Right now, AI is mostly being used to help armored vehicle crew members rather than replace them — but bigger changes are coming. The Army's new M1E3 Abrams tank, which began field testing in early 2026, is fitted with AI-enabled systems, a remotely operated turret, and an auto-loader that reduces the crew from four to three personnel ^[1], according to DefenseScoop. Military Aerospace reports the Army is leaning on AI inside crew stations to enhance situational awareness, safety, and workload management while exploring human-autonomy teaming ^[2].

Fully uncrewed platforms are also advancing: BAE Systems and Forterra are building an autonomous Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle prototype using Forterra's AutoDrive system for self-driving in GPS-denied terrain ^[3], and BAE's ATLAS robot tank recently completed trials showing it can handle dynamic obstacles with minimal human input and uses an automated target detection and tracking system ^[4].

Adoption will be steady but cautious. The Congressional Research Service notes the Army hopes improved AI and ground navigation will eventually let a single operator control multiple robotic combat vehicles ^[5], which would save soldier lives and money. But the Army recently cancelled its original Robotic Combat Vehicle program and its internal autonomy software, showing how hard off-road autonomy still is.

The Association of the United States Army says fiscal year 2026 will see three pilots of the Robotic Autonomous Systems Leader Tactics Course at Fort Benning to prepare NCOs and officers to lead formations with integrated autonomous systems ^[6] — meaning crew members are being retrained, not eliminated. Ethical concerns around lethal autonomy, the need for rugged hardware, and tough battlefield conditions will keep humans firmly in the loop. Skills like judgment under pressure, teamwork, maintenance know-how, and supervising robotic teammates will stay highly valuable — so if this career interests you, there's still a real future here, just a more high-tech one.