Bossard was the tip of the spear to ensure the tank was mission capable and motivating his fellow platoon members to do the same. Bossard was selected by his leadership to remote fire the tank because of the amount of dedication he put into making sure the tank was able to fire. Troopers assigned to Cold Steel jumped in excitement at the momentous occasion after the sabot flew down range as they knew their hard work had made history in the Regiment. Bossard initiating the remote firing device.Īt 12:01 p.m., the first munition, a M865 target practice cone stabilized discarding sabot with tracer, or TPCSDS-T, erupted out of the M1A2 Abrams SEP V2 gun tube.

The words “Cold Steel” printed in bold black lettering across the 120mm smoothbore M256 cannon recoiled as Pfc. Stephen Holtzclaw, preparing to make history in the Regiment. Kyle Bossard, a 19K, M1 Armor Crewman, crouched behind the armored vehicle with the rear bumper number labeled “C-20” alongside Troop Master Gunner, Staff Sgt.

Firing the main gun from outside the vehicle verifies that the main gun is functional, and demonstrates to the crew that they will be safe when operating the tank and sitting inches away from the main gun. It's not often that tanks are fired from outside the vehicle, but this day, the crew conducted final firing preparations at the rear of the tank. “It was a true test at all echelons in Cold Steel Troop to fix the vehicles mechanically, equip them efficiently through the Army maintenance and supply chains, and above all train the crews to be able to execute all the actions required of them when the moment was right.” Jack Dwyer, Cold Steel Troop Executive Officer. “Today’s live fire was conceptualized, planned, and executed in about five weeks,” said 1st Lt. Safety was the first priority, and before Troopers could operate the new main battle tanks for live fire, they needed to ensure the serviceability of the platform. On October, 2021, the 11th ACR received five M1A2 Abrams SEP V2s via a lateral transfer from Fort Hood, Texas.Īlthough the tanks were new to the Regiment, the vehicles required manpower, resources, and service tasks to maintain functionality. Military’s professional opposing force at the National Training Center. The Regiment previously executed gunnery using M1A1 Abrams while simultaneously fulfilling the role of the U.S. On Thursday, December 9, 2021, Troopers assigned to Cold Steel, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) at the National Training Center and Fort Irwin, Calif., fired the first main battle tank round out of the M1A2 Abrams System Enhancement Program (SEP) V2 in the Regiment’s history.

Us army main battle tank history