The US Army Abrams Tank got its name from the late General Creighton W. Abrams, who was the former Commander and Army Chief of Staff of the 37th Armored Battalion. The M1A1 Abram tank was manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) in 1978 for the first time. The purpose of this tank was to make the army capable of destroying their targets closely and successfully. It provides a safe and secure environment to its crew and is able to operate in different weather conditions whether its day or night. The main features of this tank are its digitized situational awareness, high tempo, and the presence of sensors on the board and remote battlefields.
Origins of M1A1 Abram Tanks:
The origins of the M1A1 Abram Tanks can be traced back to the time when the partnership between the US and Germany failed in producing a battle tank system to counter the Soviets. Then the US army introduced the Patton series which was also used in the world war-2. By 1971, the US army decided to use a tank that could overcome the shortcomings of the MBT-70 series of the tanks. Thus, M1A1 Abram tanks entered the production in 1971 and became operational for the first time the next year after their production. The M1A2 Abrams Battle tank consisted of fully armored compartments for the crew and for the ammunition and fuel stores. Four persons could accommodate in the tank including the driver, commander, loader, and gunner. This tank was considered the heaviest tank systems in the world.
Features of the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank:
There are currently three models of the M1 series of battle tank; the original M1 model, and the two latest models named as M1A1 and M1A2. The original model, as mentioned above, was produced in 1979 whereas the M1A1 Abram Tank was produced from 1985 to 1993 and comprised of a 120 mm gun instead of the 105 mm gun of M1 tank. The new M1A1 tank had many enhancements and improvements in the system; it consisted of an improved suspension, increased armor protection, new turret, and a nuclear-chemical-biological protection system.
The latest M1A2 series included all the features and enhancements of the M1A1 series and had an additional feature of commander’s independent thermal viewer that allowed the commander to the image in a thermal imager of second generation. It also allowed the driver to view the integrated display and had a thermal management system, digital data bus, position navigation equipment, and a radio interface.
The US army Abrams tank has depleted uranium armor and a system enhancement package (SEP). It is equipped with Honeywell AGT 1500 gas turbine engine and has two reverse and four forward gears of the Allison X-1100-3B transmission. The fire control and observation is amazing with range measurement from a laser range finder. The US army is still working to improve the features and capabilities of this tank and lower the Abram tanks cost at the same time. Some modifications include the upgrade to IVIS system that includes display, color, digital mapping, full size keyboard, and graphics generation capability.
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