This is Niche Gamer Tech. In this column, we regularly cover tech and things related to the tech industry. Please leave feedback and let us know if there’s tech or a story you want us to cover!

The U.S. Army is looking to finally replace their M1 Abrams battle tank as rival nations are rolling out newer and more advanced tanks.

Instead of doing the boring thing and simply looking to make a presumably bigger and more badass tank, our military is looking at practically everything in terms of a successor to their main point vehicle used in combat.

Brigadier General Ross Coffman, head of Army vehicle modernization, said (via Defense News) that our Army is looking at “everything from a ray gun to a Star Wars-like four-legged creature that shoots lasers.”

You read that right – we could very well possibly have walking mecha in service under our military, but the main goal is that whatever succeeds the Abrams has to be the deadliest weapon on the battlefield.

The Abrams has been in service since the Cold War, a revolutionary vehicle designed to combat the Soviet T-64 and T-72 battle tanks. It has since been upgraded quite a bit, but has been lagging behind as of late – especially with Russia and China becoming more aggressive with foreign policy.

Whatever the Army decides to go with, they must design the combat vehicle to be deployable in practically every environment known to man, as our armed forces are stationed around the globe.

Lastly, the Army is looking to have a concrete plan for an Abrams successor by 2023, with the first of the new vehicles to be deployed to the field by 2025.

Editor’s Note: Featured image is from Armored Core: Verdict Day