Operator’s Handbook
M AIN BATTLE TANK
Since its debut in the 1980s, the M1 Abrams tank has maintained a combat edge on the modern battlefield
In the mid-1970s, the lengthy MBT-70 joint venture between the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany to produce a main battle tank collapsed due to divergent priorities with the developing weapons system. As a result, each country then pursued its own programme. In the United States, the result was the prototype XM-1, which was delivered to the US Army for field evaluation in 1976.
By 1978, Chr ysler Corporation initiated production, and two years later the first operational M1 Abrams thirdgeneration main battle tank entered service, a contemporar y of the German Leopard 2 main battle tank. A total of 3,273 M1 tanks were built for the US, introducing to the American arsenal a modern armoured vehicle replacing the latest in the Patton tank series, which had served since the 1950s. The M1 had modern features such as the multifuel gas turbine engine and Chobham composite armour, along with computer fire control, NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection and separate ammunition storage in a blowout compar tment that enhanced crew survivability in the event of a catastrophic explosion.
During more than 40 years of service, the M1, named for US General Creighton Abrams, has proven itself, with major upgrades, to be a lethal presence on the battlefield. Major improvement programmes have led to significant model revisions, including the M1A1 in 1985, the M1A2 in 1996, the current M1A2 SEPv3 enhancement programme, as well as the M1E3 upgrade that is expected to extend the service life of the Abrams into the year 2040 and perhaps beyond. Well over 10,000 Abrams tanks in all variants have been produced in the last half-century, and the M1 series has been purchased by or entered service with at least 10 countries.
The impressive combat record of the M1 and successor Abrams variants includes Gulf War of 1991, the ‘Global War on Terror’ (specifically in Iraq and Afgh
