Northrop Grumman has secured a five-year US Army contract to produce M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) 120mm tank rounds for the M1 Abrams main battle tanks.
According to the defense manufacturer, the deal “supports the requirements in meeting the demands for both the US Army and our international partners.”
The M1147 AMP, which was cleared for full-rate production in December 2024, combines four legacy rounds into a single munition. This reduces ammunition complexity, eases logistics, and gives Abrams crews more flexibility against a wider range of targets.
“With its enhanced functionality, the M1147 AMP meets the Army’s needs for efficiency and readiness, while enhancing the lethality of the Abrams Main Battle Tank,” said Dave Fine, Northrop Grumman VP for armament systems.
M1147 AMP
The M1147 AMP round began development in 2013 and has taken more than a decade to field.
The next-generation round was designed to replace the M830 High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer (HEAT‑MP-T), the M830A1 HEAT-MP-T, the M1028 Canister (CAN) round, and the M908 Obstacle Reducing with Tracer (OR-T) round.
Its multi-mode programmable fuze enables it to operate in point-detonate, point-detonate delay, and airburst modes, allowing it to engage a wide range of targets, including anti-tank guided missile teams, light armor, infantry, as well as reinforced concrete walls and bunkers.
The program entered Milestone C in December 2020 and was first test-fired by the US Army in September 2021.
