Engagement ranges approaching meters were successfully demonstrated during Operation Desert Storm. The primary armor-defeating ammunition of this weapon is the armor-piercing, fin-stabilized, discarding sabot APDS-FS round, which features a depleted uranium penetrators. Depleted uranium has density two and a half times greater than steel and provides high penetration characteristics. Several other types of ammunition are available as well. An improvement program will eventually upgrade all M1A1 tanks with steel encased depleted uranium armor, which has a density at least two-and-a-half times greater than steel.
The depleted uranium armor will raise the total weight of the Abrams tank to 65 tons, but offers vastly improved protection in the bargain. The stowage for the main armament ammunition is in armored ammunition boxes behind sliding armor doors. Armor bulkheads separate the crew compartment from the fuel tanks. The tank is equipped with an automatic Halon fire extinguishing system. This system automatically activates within 2 milliseconds of either a flash or a fire within the various compartments of the vehicle.
The top panels of the tank are designed to blow outwards in the event of penetration by a HEAT projectile. Nuclear, Biological and Chemical NBC warfare protection is provided by an overpressure clean-air conditioning air system, a radiological warning system, and a chemical agent detector. The crew are individually equipped with protective suits and masks. The M60 has reached the end of its service life and lacks the capability to survive and to defeat the threats expected to be encountered on the modern battlefield.
There were also 16 Marine Corps M1A1 Tanks delivered on an accelerated schedule for employment during the operation. Due to unique Marine Corps amphibious requirements, and the need for both supportability and interoperability between the Marine Corps and the US Army, the two services agreed to jointly produce the M1A1 Main Battle Tank.
This added some complication to the logistics of the unit due to the tank's weight. Topping the scales at over 68 tons the vehicle requires special care during amphibious operations. For operations with the Marine Corps, tanks have been equipped with special fording systems. These modifications include extended air intake and exhaust tubes that allow the vehicles to cross rivers and shallow waters such as the surf zones that Marines operate in.
Approved for production in , the M1A2 represents the U. Outwardly similar in appearance to the M1A1, the most notable exterior changes on the M1A2 are the redesigned Commander's Weapon Station CWS and the addition of a Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer on the left side of the turret forward of the loader's hatch.
Internally, however, the M1A2 has been radically redesigned to take advantage of newer technology. The IVIS system allows for the automatic and continual exchange of information between vehicles.
In addition enemy positions can be identified, plotted and disseminated, while reports and artillery requests can be automatically formatted, transmitted, and processed.
Lastly, map graphic control measures and operational orders can be rapidly distributed via the IVIS system. Improving on the "hunter-killer" tank commander-gunner target hand off method pioneered on the German Leopard II, the M1A2 takes this a step further by providing the Tank Commander with an independent thermal sight.
This CITV sight allows the commander to independently scan for targets in all weather conditions and through battlefield obscurants. Power distribution throughout the tank has been improved, relying on multiple bus paths so that in the event one conduit is damaged, power may still be delivered to a component via an alternate path. The driver's instrument display has been upgraded to a more detailed digital display and the Gunner's Primary Sight has been stabilized in two axes for increased accuracy.
The Allison XB transmission provides four forward and two reverse gears. The new engine is lighter and smaller with rapid acceleration, quieter running and no visible exhaust. Designed for deployment in all-terrain conditions, the vehicle….
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The contract was awarded as part of the agreement signed in February , which allows upgrade of M1A1 tanks. Depleted uranium armour The M1A1 main battle tank incorporates steel-encased depleted uranium armour. Data on ammunition type, temperature and barometric pressure is manually inputted by the operator The driver has either three observation periscopes or two periscopes on either side and a central image intensifying periscope for night vision. Designed for deployment in all-terrain conditions, the vehicle… 25 Oct The helicopter entered service… 25 Oct
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