For the past four decades, the backbone of American ground forces has been the M1 Abrams battle tank. Made by what was long ago Chrysler Defense (presently part of General Dynamics) and first used in 1980, the machine is still described as the “most sophisticated tank on the market.”
The massive contraption – it weighs between 60 and 70 tons, depending on version – takes its power from a Honeywell (Lycoming in the older days) turbine engine that is capable of generating 1,500 shaft horsepower and is controlled by means of an Allison transmission with four forward and two reverse gears.
The thing is simply huge, and because of this it can only travel at speeds of just up to 45 mph (72 kph) and for as much as 310 miles (500 km) before running out of fuel.
The tank must be an absolute horror in the eyes of the enemy, and plenty of them, in countries like Iraq, have got to experience its force first hand. For the rest of us, the Abrams remains a distant and discreet machine. Until you come across something like the short video attached below.
It shows an Abrams during a live fire exercise at an undisclosed location. It’s one of the M1A2 variety, meaning the one in production since the early 1990s. This one is the heaviest of the bunch, at 68.4 short tons, and is equipped with a Rheinmetall-made 120 mm gun.
This tank also uses a two-axis Raytheon gunner’s primary sight which according to the guys that posted the video, Military in Action, allows the chances of first round hit to be increased through faster target acquisition and improved gun pointing.
Oh, and the sound the main gun makes when fired is simply terrifying, and it’s probably even more so for the people at the receiving end of the shells.
The thing is simply huge, and because of this it can only travel at speeds of just up to 45 mph (72 kph) and for as much as 310 miles (500 km) before running out of fuel.
The tank must be an absolute horror in the eyes of the enemy, and plenty of them, in countries like Iraq, have got to experience its force first hand. For the rest of us, the Abrams remains a distant and discreet machine. Until you come across something like the short video attached below.
It shows an Abrams during a live fire exercise at an undisclosed location. It’s one of the M1A2 variety, meaning the one in production since the early 1990s. This one is the heaviest of the bunch, at 68.4 short tons, and is equipped with a Rheinmetall-made 120 mm gun.
This tank also uses a two-axis Raytheon gunner’s primary sight which according to the guys that posted the video, Military in Action, allows the chances of first round hit to be increased through faster target acquisition and improved gun pointing.
Oh, and the sound the main gun makes when fired is simply terrifying, and it’s probably even more so for the people at the receiving end of the shells.