Lima Army Tank Plant (since 1980);Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant (1982-1996)
Service start year
1980
Service end year
Weight
65.00
Length
9.77
Width
3.66
Height
2.44
Crew
4
Armor
Similar to most other main battle tanks, the M1 Abrams feature composite armor only on the frontal aspect of the hull. However, the Abrams' turret features composite armoring across both the front and the sides. In addition, the side skirts of the frontal half of the hull are also made of composite, providing superior ballistic protection against chemical energy munitions such as HEAT rounds. The composition of the Abrams' composite armor consists of sandwiched plates of non-explosive reactive armor (NERA) between conventional steel plates. The NERA plates feature elasticity, allowing them to flex and distort upon perforation, disrupting the penetrating jets of shaped charges and providing more material and space for a kinetic round to pass through, thus providing increased protection compared to conventional steel armor of similar weight.
Main armament
The main armament of the original model M1 and M1IP was the M68A1 105 mm rifled tank gun firing a variety of armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot, high explosive anti-tank, high explosive, white phosphorus rounds and an anti-personnel (multiple flechette) round.The main armament of the M1A1 and M1A2 is the M256A1 120 mm smoothbore gun, designed by Rheinmetall AG of Germany, manufactured under license in the U.S. by Watervliet Arsenal, New York.
Secondary armament
The Abrams tank has three machine guns, with an optional fourth:1.A .50 cal. (12.7 mm) M2HB machine gun in front of the commander's hatch.2.A 7.62 mm M240 machine gun in front of the loader's hatch on a skate mount.3.A second 7.62 mm M240 machine gun in a coaxial mountto the right of the main gun.4.(Optional) A second coaxial .50 cal. (12.7 mm) M2HB machine gun can be mounted directly above the main gun in a remote weapons platform as part of the TUSK upgrade kit.
High-hardness-steel torsion bars with rotary shock absorbers
Ground clearance
0.43
Fuel capacity
1900
Range
426.00
Speed
67.00
Description
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems).[9] Conceived for modern armored ground warfare and now one of the heaviest tanks in service at nearly 68 short tons (almost 62 metric tons), it introduced several innovative features, including a multifuel turbine engine, sophisticated Chobham composite armor, a computer fire control system, separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment, and NBC protection for crew safety. Initial models of the M1 were armed with a licensed-produced 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun, while later variants feature a licensed Rheinmetall 120 mm L/44.
