Top Ten Main Battle Tanks #1
M-1A2 Abrams (United States)
M-1A2 Abrams (United States)
The M1 Abrams is an American third-generation main battle tank produced by the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of U.S. military forces in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1972. Highly mobile, designed for modern armored ground warfare, the M1 is well armed and heavily armored. Notable features include the use of a powerful gas turbine engine (multifuel), the adoption of sophisticated composite armor, and separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment for crew safety. Weighing nearly 68 short tons (almost 62 metric tons), it is one of the heaviest main battle tanks in service.
| Type | Main battle tank |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1980–present |
| Wars | Gulf War War in Afghanistan Iraq War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) |
| Designed | 1972–79 |
| Manufacturer | Lima Army Tank Plant (since 1980) Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant (1982–1996) |
| Unit cost | US$6.21 million (M1A2 / FY99) Estimated in 2012 as US$8.58 million (with inflation adjustment) |
| Produced | 1979–present |
| Number built | 9,000+ |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | M1: 60 short tons (54 long tons; 54 t) M1A1: 63 short tons (56 long tons; 57 t) M1A2: 68 short tons (61 long tons; 62 t) |
| Length | Gun forward: 32.04 ft (9.77 m) Hull length: 26.02 ft (7.93 m) |
| Width | 12 ft (3.66 m) |
| Height | 8 ft (2.44 m) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) |
| Armor | M1, M1A1: Burlington composite armor M1A2: depleted uranium mesh-reinforced composite armor |
|
Main
armament |
M1: 105 mm L/52 M68 rifled gun (55 rounds) M1A1: 120 mm L/44 M256A1 smoothbore gun (40 rounds) M1A2: 120 mm L/44 M256A1 smoothbore gun (42 rounds) |
|
Secondary
armament |
1 × .50-caliber (12.7 mm) M2HB heavy machine gunwith 900 rounds 2 × 7.62 mm (.308 in) M240 machine guns with 10,400 rounds (1 pintle-mounted, 1 coaxial) |
| Engine | Honeywell AGT1500C multi-fuel turbine engine 1,500 shp (1,120 kW) |
| Power/weight | From 26.9 hp/t (20.05 kW/t) to 23.8 hp/t (17.74 kW/t) |
| Transmission | Allison DDA X-1100-3B |
| Suspension | High-hardness-steel torsion bars with rotary shock absorbers |
| Ground clearance | M1, M1A1: 0.48 m (1 ft 7 in) M1A2: 0.43 m (1 ft 5 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 500 US gallons (1,900 l; 420 imp gal) |
|
Operational
range |
M1A2: 426 km (265 mi) |
| Speed |
M1A1: Road 45 mph (72 km/h) (governed); Off-road: 25 mph (40 km/h) |
