M1 Abrams

“

We don’t believe we’ll ever see a straight conventional conflict again in the future.
- Paul D. Eaton, stating the M1s are game changers

”

The M1 Abrams is an American main battle tank available to NATO forces. Its upgraded variants are the M1A1 Abrams, and the M1IP Abrams.

The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. Highly mobile, designed for modern armored ground warfare, the M1 is well armed and heavily armored.

History[]

The first attempt to replace the aging M60 tank was the MBT-70, developed in partnership with West Germany in the 1960s. The MBT-70 had advanced features such as a height-adjustable pneumatic suspension and a turret design that allowed the driver to always face the direction of travel, but ultimately proved to be too heavy, complex, and expensive. As a result of the imminent failure of this project, the U.S. Army introduced the XM803. This succeeded only in producing an expensive system with capabilities similar to the M60.

Congress canceled the MBT-70 in November and XM803 December 1971, and redistributed the funds to the new XM815, later renamed the XM1 Abrams after General Creighton Abrams. Prototypes were delivered in 1976 by Chrysler Defense and General Motors armed with the license-built version of the 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun along with a Leopard 2 for comparison. The turbine-powered Chrysler Defense design was selected for development as the M1; Chrysler had significant experience designing turbine-powered land vehicles going back to the 1950s. In March 1982, General Dynamics Land Systems Division (GDLS) purchased Chrysler Defense, after Chrysler built over 1,000 M1s.

3,273 M1 Abrams were produced 1979-85 and first entered US Army service in 1980 replacing M60 in the Armored Battalions and the Armored Cavalry Regiments. Production at the government-owned, GDLS-operated Lima Army Tank Plant in Lima, Ohio, was joined by vehicles built at the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in Warren, Michigan from 1982 to 1996. The M1 was armed with the license-built version of the 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun. An improved model called the M1IP was produced briefly in 1984 and contained small upgrades. The M1IP models were used in the Canadian Army Trophy NATO tank gunnery competition in 1985 and 1987.

About 6,000 M1A1 Abrams were produced from 1986–92 and featured the M256 120 mm (4.7 in) smoothbore cannon developed by Rheinmetall AG of Germany for the Leopard 2, improved armor, and a CBRN protection system. Production of M1 and M1A1 tanks totaled some 9,000 tanks at a cost of approximately $4.30 million per unit. By 1999 costs for the tank were upwards of US$5 million a vehicle.

In 1990, Project on Government Oversight in a report criticized the M1's high costs and low fuel efficiency in comparison with other tanks of similar power and effectiveness such as the Leopard 2. The report was based on data from U.S. Army sources and the Congressional record.

As the Abrams entered service in the 1980s, they operated alongside M60A3 within the United States military, and with other NATO tanks in numerous Cold War exercises. These exercises usually took place in Western Europe, especially West Germany, but also in some other countries, including South Korea. The exercises were aimed at countering Soviet forces. However, by 1991 the USSR had collapsed and the Abrams was instead employed in the Middle East.

Game stats[]

Specifications[]

Specifications
Class	Unit
Cost	65
Armor	Front 15 / Side 6 / Rear 3 / Top 3
Strength	10
Size	Big
Optics	Medium
Speed	75 km/h
Road Speed	110 km/h
Stealth	Poor
Fuel Capacity	1900 L
Autonomy	440 km
Year	1980
Type	Mechanized, Armored

Weapons[]

Weapons
Type	Main Gun	MMG	MMG
Name	M68A1	M2 Browning	M240
Caliber	105mm [KE] [AoE]	12.7mm	7.62mm
Ammo	x 40	x 900	x 2200
Range	Ground = 2100 m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m	Ground = 1050 m Helicopters = 875 m Airplanes = N/A m	Ground = 875 m Helicopters = 525 m Airplanes = N/A m
Accuracy	65%	15%	20%
Stabilizer	50%	5%	10%
AP Power	13	N/A	N/A
HE Power	3	0.75	0.5
Suppression	121	90	55
Rate of fire	9 r/min	652 r/min	652 r/min

Specifications[]

Specifications
Class	Main Battle Tank
Cost	80
Armor	Front 15 / Side 8 / Rear 4 / Top 3
Strength	10
Size	Big
Optics	Poor
Speed	70 km/h
Road Speed	110 km/h
Stealth	Poor
Fuel Capacity	2000 L
Autonomy	500 km
Stabilizer	Medium
Year	1980
Type	Mechanized, Armored

Weapons[]

Weapons
Type	Main Gun	HMG	MMG
Name	M68A1	M2 Browning	M240
Caliber	105mm KE AoE	12,7mm	7,62mm
Ammo	x 25 rounds	x 900 rounds	x 4400 rounds
Range	Ground = 2100 m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m	Ground = 1050 m Helicopters = 875 m Airplanes = N/A m	Ground = 875 m Helicopters = 525 m Airplanes = N/A m
Accuracy	9	3	4
AP Power	13	N/A	N/A
HE Power	3	0.75	0.5
Suppression	121	90	54
Rate of fire	10 r/min	500 r/min	600 r/min

Specifications[]

Specifications
Class	Main Battle Tank
Cost	6 95
Armor	Front 8 / Side 6 / Rear 4 / Top 3
Strength	10
Size	Very big
Optics	Poor
Speed	70 km/h
Road Speed	110 km/h
Stealth	Bad
Fuel Capacity	2000 L
Autonomy	500 km
Stabilizer	Normal
Year	1980
Type	Mechanized, Armored

Weapons[]

Weapons
Type	Main Gun	HMG	MMG
Name	M68A1	M2 Browning	M240
Caliber	105mm	12,7mm	7,62mm
Ammo	x 25 rounds	x 900 rounds	x 4400 rounds
Range	Ground = 1925 m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m	Ground = 1226 m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m	Ground = 701 m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m
Accuracy	8	3	4
AP Power	7	0	0
HE Power	3	1	1
Rate of fire	7 r/min	500 r/min	600 r/min

M1 Abrams

Contents

History[]

Game stats[]

Specifications[]

Weapons[]

Specifications[]

Weapons[]

Specifications[]

Weapons[]

Gallery[]

See also[]