Currently tanks are loud and emit a lot of heat. A quieter tank with a low level of infrared signature might not be detected until it was too late.
Future tanks could also control several large flying or ground drones with missiles. Those tanks would not give away their location when a strike is ordered.
Tanks could be made a lot more quiet by switching to electric battery operation when the detection is to be avoided. A hybrid power tank could switch to electric power when they get within 5 to 10 miles of the enemy.
Ion-soaked graphene sheets are thin and simple material that can shield an object’s thermal signature and even blend into surrounding temperature if actively manipulated. Graphene sheets could eliminate or significantly reduce or disguise a tank’s heat signature.
SAIC and Lockheed Martin are building the first U.S. electric tank prototype. Two demonstration vehicles are expected to be built by 2022. The Pentagon has expressed interest in military vehicles which generate their own electricity.