M1 Abrams Tank

The Ml Abrams tank is the US Army’s principal Main Battle Tank (MBT). The M1 Abrams is able to operate in all climate and light conditions.

Several versions of the M1 Abrams were deployed to Southwest Asia, primarily the M1A1 Abrams. The M1A1 Abram’s advanced armor, superior maneuverability, low profile, chemical overpressure system, and compartmentalized fuel and ammunition stores provide the crew with levels of battlefield protection that surpass any other tank, and its main gun is capable of making catastrophic kills at distances in excess of 3,000 meters.

During Operation Desert Shield-Desert Storm, some M1A1’s were modified with additional armor and others were equipped with mine rollers and mine plows for breaching obstacles and clearing minefields.

M1 Abrams Specifications

  M1/IPM1 M1A1 M1A2 M1A2 SEP
Length (feet) 32.04 32.04 32.04 32.04
Width (feet) 12.0 12.0 12.0 12.0
Height (feet) 7.79 8.0 8.0 8.0
Top speed (miles per hour) 45.0 41.5 41.5 42
Weight (tons) 61.4/62.8 67.6 68.4 69.5
Armament 105mm 120mm 120mm 120mm
Crew 4 4 4 4

Articles on the M1 Abrams Tank

The M1A2 Abrams: The Last Main Battle Tank?

With its superb integration of firepower, mobility, and armor protection, the M1A2 Abrams is very nearly the ultimate incarnation of the main battle tank (MBT). Although more advanced design concepts have been published in recent years, it will likely prove quite difficult to produce an MBT sufficiently superior (to the M1A2) to justify the cost, so why not look for a better idea?

Abrams Tank Systems: Lessons Learned: Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003

This briefing captures some of the key equipment performance issues and lessons learned as interpreted by PM Abram’s personnel deployed forward with the Divisions during Operation Iraqi Freedom

The Effect of Age on the M1 Tank: Implications for Readiness, Workload, and Recapitalization

Many of the Army’s major weapon systems were procured as part of a major investment cycle that ended in the early 1990s. They are expected to remain in use until about 2030, when the Army has fully fielded its next generation of forces. Thus, large portions of some fleets are already more than ten years old, with little prospect for near-term replacement.

Books on the M1 Abrams Tank

Warmachines No.6: M1 - M1IP - M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank
Warmachines No.6: M1 - M1IP - M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank

The sixth installment in the WARMACHINES series, this volume covers in depth the details of the formidable M1 “ABRAMS” Main Battle Tank. Along with a history of the vehicle, such features as the suspension, tracks, armor protection, powerplant, armament, ammunition, fighting compartment, driving compartment, maintenance, stowage, exercises, and more are all covered with amazing detail photographs and drawings.

Modern U.S. Tanks and AFVs
Modern U.S. Tanks and AFVs

Conceived during World War I, tanks still play a crucial role on the modern battlefield providing excellent mobility, sophisticated communications, lethal firepower, and effective armor protection. Together, these assets provide the shock effect necessary to close with and destroy the enemy in most any condition.

Modern U.S. Tanks & AFVs examines the development, capabilities, and service histories of some of the most important and interesting tanks, armored fighting vehicles (AFVs), wheeled armored firepower, and indirect armored fire-support vehicles used by the U.S. military today, including: amphibious assault vehicles (AAVP), the full range of M1 Abrams tanks, Bradleys, armored Humvees, and Strykers. In typical ECS fashion, color photographs depict each type in training exercises. There will also be discussions of how the 1999 “Army Vision” transformation strategy calling for lighter and more maneuverable armed forces precipitated the development of some of the weapons covered.

Tank: The M1A1 Abrams
Tank: The M1A1 Abrams

Armored Fighting Vehicles: 300 of the World's Greatest Military Vehicles
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 300 of the World’s Greatest Military Vehicles

Starting with the crude and unreliable tanks that clashed on the Western Front in World War I, roll through years and on to the vehicles of World War II, such as the Panzer IV, Panther, Tiger, Sherman, and T-34, and right up to the most recent fighting machines, including the M1 Abrams and Challenger, and Bradley and Warrior infantry tanks. 300 in all.

Jane's Tanks and Combat Vehicles Recognition Guide, 3e (Jane's Tank & Combat Vehicle Recognition Guide)
Jane’s Tanks and Combat Vehicles Recognition Guide, 3e (Jane’s Tank & Combat Vehicle Recognition Guide)

The Essential Guide to All the World’s Tanks and Combat Vehicles. A fully illustrated encyclopaedia of all modern military vehicles in service today. Includes tanks, personnel carriers, reconnaissance vehicles; self-propelled guns and self-propelleled anti-aircraft systems.

The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles: The Comprehensive Guide to over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles from 1915 to the Present Day
The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles: The Comprehensive Guide to over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles from 1915 to the Present Day

Warriors have long sought to combine protection and mobility in combat, from ancient chariots to medieval knights and armored wagon. It was the development of the internal combustion engine that allowed a vehicle to possess both features on the battlefield. The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles is a definitive guide to over 1500 armored vehicles that have emerged from the first gasoline engine to the present day. In 1916, during World War I, the tank made its debut on the Western Front for the British, and the face of warfare changed almost overnight. In each nation’s quest for battlefield dominance, many different types of armored vehicles have been produced, some more successful than others, all of which are covered in the encyclopedia, with each entry being accompanied by a photograph or artwork, full specifications and a development and career history. The book is divided into sections by country, with entries arranged chronologically. A detailed index is provided for easy cross-referencing. With such in-depth coverage of the subject, The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles is an essential reference guide for anyone interested in the history of military vehicles.

The Illustrated Directory of Tanks of the World
The Illustrated Directory of Tanks of the World

Over the last century, tanks and armored vehicles have developed into highly mobile and mightily armed vehicles common to the inventores of nearly every army in the world. This huge, comprehensive reference provides historians and modelers with an accurate and detailed directory chock full of technical specifications, development and service histories, specially commissioned color plates, and action photography illustrating more than 150 tanks and fighting vehicles from World War I to present. The hardware is arranged chronologically within national entities that represent all the world’s major armies. Readers will clearly witness the tank’s development and their performances during all of the century’s major wars and minor conflicts, from the muddy battlefields of World War I to the harsh desert campaigns of World War II, and from the “turkey shoot” in the sands of Iraq to the mountainous terrain of the Balkans.

Tracked Firepower: Today's Armored Fighting Vehicles
Tracked Firepower: Today’s Armored Fighting Vehicles

Lethal firepower and an impressive array of modern capabilities take you into the front lines of battle! The spearhead of today’s battle groups, tracked vehicles are fully equipped with global positioning systems, inertial position navigation systems, and single channel ground/airborne radio systems to allow them to respond rapidly to ever-changing tactical situations. See these sophisticated systems on full alert commanding today’s fighting tanks and infantry vehicles.

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