17 reasons why the M1 Abrams tank is still king of the battlefield
Here is one of the first M1 Abrams in 1979. The Abrams entered service in 1980, but didn't see heavy combat until Desert Storm in 1991.
The Abrams was the first tank to incorporate British-developed Chobham composite armor, which incorporates ceramics and is incredibly dense.
The Abrams is highly mobile, with a top speed of more than 40 mph and an impressive 0 turn radius.
Also, in special conditions, like loose sand, dirt, or packed snow, the Abrams can actually drift.
The M1 Abrams sports a 120 mm smooth bore cannon capable of firing a variety of rounds.
Like with any armored unit, their success depends partly on the hardware, and partly on the crew. Here a loader expertly queues up a round capable of melting through an enemy tank's armor.
In addition to the main cannon, the Abrams sports a M2H Browining .50 caliber rifle, a staple of the US military since World War II. In some cases, the guns can be remotely fired.
The M1 Abrams is just plain tough. Watch it roll over a car bomb without even closing the hatch. This would tear a lesser tank to shreds.
Not just the US, but Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Australia also use the Abrams as their main battle tank.
When the Abrams finally saw combat in 1991, it impressed operators with it's effective rounds and virtual invulnerability to Iraqi tank fire. Not a single Abrams was destroyed by Iraqi tank fire during the Persian Gulf War.
In fact, the only Abrams lost during the Persian Gulf War were destroyed by friendly fire, sometimes on purpose so they couldn't be reclaimed by Iraqi forces.
The Abrams benefited from having superior range and night vision abilities compared to their Soviet-made counterparts.
Later, during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Abrams became involved in urban warfare while clearing Iraqi cities. Urban warfare is the worst situation for tanks, as their range is limited by buildings and they can be attacked from above, where their armor is weakest.
In response, the US outfitted the Abrams with the Tank Urban Survival Kit, which greatly improved survivability in urban areas.
In their book "Heavy Metal: A Tank Company's Battle to Baghdad" Major Jason Conroy reports a lopsided victory where an Abrams unit destroyed seven Soviet-made T-72 tanks at point blank range with no losses on the US side.
Today, the Abrams remains the US's main battle tank, one of the most successful tanks of all time, and the king of the battlefield.
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