lendringser - you're right, but prior to the current SecDef anyone (at least anyone on the Army side of the equation) who tried to push for something lighter with more punch didn't stand a chance - I know, as I was involved in one of the much earlier rounds of that debate back in the mid-80's. Remember that the M1A2 partially evolved from a background of people who thought the XMBT-70 had a lot of potential! no kidding!
[note for non military types: the XMBT-70 was a tank prototype that was intended to be totally impervious to every tank gun and antitank weapon which existed when it was designed. Indeed they succeeded in developing a vehicle that met that spec. Only problem was it literally sank through asphalt pavement. There were some humorous pictures, later destroyed of the XMBT-70 which had been parked in a blacktop parking are usually used for heavy vehicles and left over night. When they came back the next morning it had sunk it's tracks all the way through the blacktop and compressed the dirt below the blacktop as well - it was *that* heavy. You can imagine what happened they first time they drove it into a field of wet clay - can you say 'instant pillbox'?]
[note for non military types: the XMBT-70 was a tank prototype that was intended to be totally impervious to every tank gun and antitank weapon which existed when it was designed. Indeed they succeeded in developing a vehicle that met that spec. Only problem was it literally sank through asphalt pavement. There were some humorous pictures, later destroyed of the XMBT-70 which had been parked in a blacktop parking are usually used for heavy vehicles and left over night. When they came back the next morning it had sunk it's tracks all the way through the blacktop and compressed the dirt below the blacktop as well - it was *that* heavy. You can imagine what happened they first time they drove it into a field of wet clay - can you say 'instant pillbox'?]