You probably know the importance of main battle tanks in the battlefield.
They are key military weapons with the skills of shooting direct fire while maintaining a
robust durability on the battle fronts. Presently, it's not something uncommon to observe army units
comprised of only main battle tanks, as these machineries are sophisticated enough
to conduct operations without significant concern. In this technologically-driven era,
the incredible development of weapon system led to outstanding machines with very powerful armour
and high-tech systems. The American tank M1 Abram and its variants, is often regarded as the best
main battle tank among its counterparts. But to what extent is this really true?
Hi everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Military TV.
Today, we are going to observe the legendary main battle tank of the US, the M1A2 Abrams. If you
are interested to learn more about this tank, make sure you stay with us until the end of this video.
A true legend of the US Army, the M1 Abrams have proved uncounted times their effectiveness as
they were operated during the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, the Iraq War, the 2011 Egyptian
revolution, and more. Designed by the Chrysler Defence, which have now widely known as General
Dynamics Land Systems, the company was reportedly to have built more than 10,000 units of the tank.
It was a loyal supporter during both wars in Iraq, and it is highly probable the most combat-tested
weapon in the world. The gun is hugely potent. Over the years, the platform has been steadily
upgraded. In comparison to other tanks in its class, it is fast and maneuverable.
It provides adequate protection for the crew. For these and other reasons that we will discuss,
it has to be considered one of the best tanks ever.
The variant M1A2 Abrams are third-generation main battle tanks that are among the world's heaviest.
The Abrams line currently has three operational variants: the M1, the M1A1, and the M1A2.
The US Army intended to replace the tanks with the Future Combat Systems XM1202,
but the project was shelved. Currently, the army has the plan on preserving the available
inventory Abrams and improve them in any way.
Nonetheless, the Abrams is not unrivalled in its very heavy weight class:
other vehicles such as the German Leopard 2, the British Challenger 2,
the French Leclerc, and the Israeli Merkava 4 have comparable firepower and protection levels,
though each has advantages and disadvantages. For decades, the most dangerous potential adversary
was the Russian T-90 tank—a vehicle that can compete with the Abrams but is far from a peer.
Russia's new T-14 Armata tank and its capabilities definitely poses a competitive threat to the
Abrams. Though the Abrams appears to have a slight advantage in conventional armor,
the Armata makes up for it with a combination of explosive-reactive armour and a sophisticated
radar-guided Afganit Active Protection System (APS) designed to shoot down incoming projectiles.
Because the T-14 has an improved armour penetration, the Abrams' frontal armour
may be vulnerable at shorter combat ranges, possibly 1,500 meters and less.
It is still debatable which one of them is superior over another,
as they clearly have the capacity of destroying each other.
It is worth to note that the Abrams can no longer assume the inferiority of opposing tanks.
Let’s now dig in into the history and development of the M1A2 Abram tanks.
The manufacturing of M1A2 began in 1986, and the first one was delivered to the US Army in 1992.
The M1A2 has a thermal sight for the tank commander and can shoot two targets at once.
Second-generation depleted uranium is used in the armour. Then came the System Enhancement
Package (SEP) upgrade, which altered the M1A2's already enhanced capabilities.
The M1A2 SEP remains the backbone of the United States' armoured forces today.
The US produced 240 new M1A2 SEPs, updated 300 M1A2s with the SEP variant,
and converted 400 M1A1s to the MI1A2 SEP configuration. The SEP version's armour
features enhanced depleted uranium components, making it one of the best in the world.
By installing explosive reactive armour, the Army can increase the level of protection.
The tank's main weapon is a 120 mm M256 with a range of 2.5 miles.
M829A3 APFSDS ammo and M1028 rounds are used in the weapon.
At a range of 0.12 to 0.3 miles, the second option is an effective ammunition for infantry targets.
The tank has a ballistic computer and a sophisticated and capable firing control system.
The two thermal sights employ second-generation FLIR technology, which also allows for night
vision. A digital battlefield management system distinguishes friendly and hostile targets on the
main battle tank. The system shows the location of adjacent friendly automobiles in real time.
The commander, gunner, loader, and driver make up the four-person crew.
The AGT 1500 gas turbine engines provide 1,500 horsepower and give the vehicle good performance.
The M1A2C is the M1A2 SEP battle tank's third iteration. It was first revealed by the US in
2015, and it is still the most recent of the Abrams. The M829A4 Advanced Kinetic Energy rounds
and the XM1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose programmed ammunition are both compatible with the tank.
Raphael Trophy HV is the active protection system. So why is it dubbed as one of the best tanks?
Well, as of now, the Abrams are the US Army's only operational main combat tanks.
The M1A2C, or SEP version 3, is the most recent improved version of the Abrams tank line.
The new enhanced version boasts remarkable systems and technology, top-tier armour,
devastating firepower, and a reasonable pricing. There aren't many things that can outperform this
successful tank with all of these qualities. Considering its current capabilities,
more works are going to be done for the enhancement of M1 Abrams tanks.
The Army is currently planning to develop the M1A3,
a more radical upgraded Abrams. The details are sketchy, but one of the priorities appears to be
reducing the Abram's roughly seventy-ton weight. Weight has certainly limited the
Abrams' ability to deploy around the world and the bridges it can cross. A lighter-weight gun,
replacing the wiring with fiber-optic cables to save two tons of weight, improved suspension,
and the addition of a Laser Warning Receiver are among the features specifically mentioned.
In 2020, General Dynamics was awarded a $4.6 billion contract to improve the M1A2
SEPv3 version, with a prospective completion date of June 2028. The first delivery order
is estimated to be worth $406 million. SEP itself stands for System Enhanced Package.
It's all about lethality, protection, and survivability with this upgrade.
More firepower and greater armour are also included in the update. The advanced ammunition
M829A4 which uses kinetic energy and modernized multi-purpose rounds can be fired from it.
And that’s all for today! Thanks for watching and look forward for our next episode!