The M1 Abrams is the American main battle tank (MBT) and used in many different countries. Production started in 1979, entering service for the US Army in 1980. The M1 Abrams is the base model for modern tanks such as the M1A1, M1A2, M1A2 SEP, and the M1A2 SEPv3. The first M1 Abrams had a 105mm rifled cannon while all version after the original M1 have a 120mm smoothbore cannon capable of firing APFSDS (Armor-Piecing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot), MPAT (Multi-Purpose Anti-Tank), Canister Rounds, and M1147 AMP (Advanced Multi-Purpose) rounds. APFSDS is the main tank killer capable of the most armor piece and spall (hot shrapnel created from the ammunition traveling through the tanks armor). MPAT is a replacement for HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) mainly used for light vehicles and things like bunkers in rare cases. The canister round acts like a shotgun fired from a tank barrel, used for infantry and very lightly armored vehicles. The M1147 round is where things get really interesting, this round can be used like a standard HE (High-Explosive), airburst round, or variable fuze. Standard HE is essentially just a shell packed with explosive, airburst rounds are HE rounds just set on a timer or a distance scale, typically calculated with a laser range finder. Variable fuze is mostly used against helicopters and drones, these rounds are set on a constant sensor and when they near a target, or the ground, they automatically explode. Along with the Abrams’ good firepower comes good mobility and armor. The Abrams have very thick and angled turret cheeks capable, in some cases, of tanking an ATGM (Anti-Tank Missile). The turret ring is also a key feature on the Abrams tanks, the armor of the upper front plate and the turret cheeks makes a “bullet trap” essentially pinching a round in between two pieces of thick armor. The Abrams does share a common weakness between most modern MBTs with their LFP (Lower Front Plate) being very minimally armored. The main benefits of this is an overall lighter weight with minimal downsides, typically enemy armor is unable to see your tanks LFP. The Abrams has good mobility taking full advantage of its 1500 horsepower gas turbine engine. This engine is known to be an absolute gas guzzler but the upsides outweigh the downsides immensely. Officially it can go 40-45 MPH on roads, around 30 on off-road terrain, and reach speeds of 20 MPH in 6-7 seconds. Compared to other MBTs of its size this is incredibly impressive and it is suspected of being able to go even faster. The Abrams is also manually loaded capable of firing a round every 5 seconds on average and even shorter with a good crew.
The Abrams truly is America’s pride and joy when it comes to tanks being in use since 1980.
