Army Tests Cyber Defense System on M1 Abrams Tank

The U.S. Army successfully demonstrated new cybersecurity technology designed to protect ground vehicles from digital attacks. The Ground Vehicle Systems Center tested the system on an M1A2 Abrams tank during exercises at Yuma Proving Ground.

Many Army vehicles were built before modern cyber threats emerged. Their systems remain vulnerable to attacks. The demonstration proved the need for robust defensive technologies in both legacy and future ground vehicles.

The test occurred during Cyber Cyclone exercises in September 2021 as part of Project Convergence '21. The M1A2 received a 1553 Bus Defender system made by Peraton. This intrusion detection system defeats cyberattacks targeting a platform's data bus.

According to reports, the data bus handles information transfers between satellites, sensors, communication systems, weapons, and unmanned vehicles. The Defense Department and NASA use the MIL-STD-1553 data bus, first developed in 1975.

Jeffery Jaczkowski, associate director for ground systems cyber engineering, explained the vulnerability. "A vehicle today is just a bunch of computers on wheels or tracks," he stated.

GVSC personnel executed remotely triggered simulated cyber threats against the tank's data bus. When activated, the Bus Defender successfully defended against threats while maintaining full system functionality.

The system ensures critical vehicle systems cannot be tampered with or shut down by adversaries in contested cyber environments. Data from this demonstration will inform further research.

Defending ground vehicles against cyberattacks grows more urgent as threats evolve. Russian forces used cyber warfare extensively during their 2014 Donbas invasion. 

A Ukrainian officer reported that Russian-made radios suffered mass sabotage from remotely triggered kill switches. Federal warnings indicate recent cyberattacks show potential for widespread damage to U.S. critical infrastructure.