M1 Abrams tank #1 by goodoleboy
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Description
Captured 10/30/06 at the Los Alamitos Auto/Copter Expo Show held annually at the beautiful Armed Forces Reserve Center in beautiful Los Alamitos, California.
Okay, I'm quoting the following from Armored Fighting Vehicles, by Philip Trewitt, so blame the book, and not me, for any false or misleading information:
Late note: see my comment below following weesel's comment. It appears an egregious error was committed by the book.
The M1 Abrams was the next stage in American tank development after the M60. Chrysler completed the prototypes in 1978 and the first production vehicles appeared in 1980 with 30 tanks a month being built in following years. Its advanced Chobham armor/armour makes the M1 the best protected US main battle tank yet. Its gas turbine engine is smaller and easier to service than a diesel engine, but the extra fuel requirement negates the space saved, which is perhaps why the idea was rejected for the Leopard 2. Thermal sights, laser rangefinder and gun stabilization system gives the M1 excellent firepower on the move, be it day or night. In the 1991 Gulf War, the Abrams proved itself the best tank in the world, knocking out Iraqi T-72s with impunity -- no Abrams were destroyed by enemy fire.
And, in my own words, the M1 Abrams was also used in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and was just as effective a killing machine as in the Gulf War.
Crew: 8
Weight: 119,392 lb (54,269kg)
Dimensions: 32ft-0.5in (9.766m)' width 12ft (3.655m); height 9ft 6in (2.895m)
Range: 280 miles (450km)
Armament: one 105mm gun; two 7.62mm machine guns (one coaxial, one on loader's hatch); one 12.7mm machine gun.
Powerplant: Avco Lycoming AGT-1500 gas turbine, developing 1,500hp (1119kW)
Performance: 45mph (72.5km/h); fording 4ft (1.219m); vertical obstacle 4ft-1in (1.244m); trench 9ft (2.743m).
Late note: see my comment below following weesel's comment. It appears an egregious error was committed by the book.
Oh, sorry I didn't capture the entire length of the vehicle, but its back end was parked in a closed off enclosure which prevented that effort. I do have another POV of the M1 showing the back end, which I'll post soon.
Have a fabulous Friday!
Comments (12)
MrsLubner
Wow. Now I'm impressed! This thing is fantastic! it clips right along at good speed and holds up to 8! It looks so impressive and the armor is outstanding. Makes you feel pretty well protected.Great shot and information.
mickuk50
not part of the official secrets act then lol , great shot ,i have quite a few old transport military shots taken at the eden camp in england mick
jocko500
real cool to see the armor and the men that use them. This looks great
BibbyBear
No smoking guns on this tank then..... judging by the sign there LOL!! Great capture Harry - I love military machines and the likes and this is no exception. I can't wait to see your back end shot though (ooh err missus!!!) Hugs. xx
weesel
Crew 8? Seems to be a typo.
goodoleboy
Weesel: bless your heart! You are right, 8 is a typo...I just checked another source and the crew has always been 4 (four). Fie on the book! Also, the latest model, the M1A2, the length is 32.25ft, width 12ft, height 8ft; speed: 41.5mph; weight: 69.5 tons; Main gun: 120mm; Range 265 miles.
Dianthus
Nice image. Make sure you dont smoke beyond that point sign:)
Hendesse
Interesting shot, fantastic light! (I must confess that i am not a friend of weapons, tanks or other war machinery.)
auntietk
It looks pretty streamlined, for a tank! I like the palm trees in the background. We don't have them here, of course!
tallpindo
The M-1 was one of my "keep alive" projects. The Lycoming gas turbine, 120mm gun and DATA General "Eclipse" fire control computer as well as the depleted uranium rounds were the technical obstacles to cost and schedule and possible cancellation. Tanks in the Yom Kippur War had been shown to be extremely vulnerable to rockets and air power though night was a friend when it hid them and a enemy when it hid attackers behind low walls. I watched portions of the program evolve as tank hulls on lowboys on 8 mile and lighted bays at night on 14 mile. My visit to Mound Road went no deeper than the catering truck. My visit in Troy is recorded on the log. Finally, both the M-1 and M-2/M-3 appeared at the Hilton parking lot on Stephenson. That hotel is torn down now. I too watched them on television and in the papers. I love the story of "Pale Rider" in 2003 and the generals quote, "drive 100 tanks, 100 miles and 10% will fail to arrive". Other traces were in the Congressional hearings documents when the XM-1 was just paper. Forged in a crucible of quenstioning it began to emerge as a whole thing. No "Davey Crockett" and a 152mm sabotteed round this time that would fit a Sheridan as with the M-60 A-1. No 90mm but the bigger gun of a British "Centurion" and a Russian T-10 or "Stalin". Would it hold it's weight and dimensions to fit in a C-5? WAs this still good for an AMST (C-17 later)?
mark.spooner
Nice shot!
babuci
Cool shot, all the important and interesting part is in a picture. Love the paint and thanks for an info on this war machine.