M1A1 ABRAMS Supertank - 2
The M1A1 is the first major block improvement to the M1 ABRAMS Tank System
and provides a significant improvement to the Army's offensive ground combat
power as displayed during Operation Desert Storm.
These tanks were feared by the Allies, but there were too few of them to
turn
the tide of war. The design of tanks had always been a compromise between armor,
firepower, and mobility. The heavier the armor, the better the protection, but
the slower the speed. The bigger the gun, the heavier the casing needed to carry
it. Victory or defeat depended on a balance between these characteristics.
During the cold war, the Soviet Union was years ahead of the West in the
development of tank technology. They had produced a range of low profile designs
that were harder to identify and to hit. The US and West Germany, now Allies,
collaborated to produce a new tank of the century that would incorporate the
latest scientific developments. By 1969, with over 400-million-dollar spent, the
project was way over budget. Congress pulled the plug. But the US still needed a
new generation of battle tanks. In 1972, both Chrysler and General Motors were
asked to come up with new designs.
United States hadn't had a new tank for quite a number of years. And the Army
felt the need to incorporate the knowledge that was available then into a new
tank that would give them better firepower, more mobility and reliability. The
Army did, I think, a very intelligent, very smart job of managing, the first
thing they did was to get a group of seasoned, experienced tankers to get a tour
of docks and ask these gentlemen what it is you'd like to have on a next version
tank? It's somewhat similar to putting a kid in a candy store, and what to come
out of that was a very tough and demanding sort of requirements.
World events would also play an important role in shaping the design. In October
1973, the Middle East War saw the largest tank versus tank battles since World
War II. Israeli armored brigades fought with British Centurion tanks and the
latest American Pattons. Egyptian and the Syrian forces were armed with the
modern Soviet T-62 tank. The Middle East War proved that tank remained the
dominant weapon on the modern battlefield. The US Army was now more committed
than ever to design a new main battle tank. For US tank designers, the war
provided a unique opportunity. They closely tracked the strength and weaknesses
of the armored divisions and brought the results to the design table. Another
factor that would affect the tank's overall design was the new top-secret
British Chobham armor, code-named Burlington by the Army. In 1978, successful
impact tests on the secret Burlington armor were held at the Army's Aberdeen
Proving Ground.
There are two basic kinds of tank ammunition. One is kinetic energy -- brute force
pushes a hole through the armor and it's very effective. The other type of
anti-tank round is called the chemical energy round, molten metal come out of
the front of the shell in a finger-sized jet that will burn a hole through
several feet of steel. |
( Oct 27 )
