M1 Abrams tank: one of America's best battle tanks!

Interested in the world's best battle tanks? The American M1 Abrams tank is one of them. This second-generation battle tank was designed in the USA. It was used by the US Army in the Gulf War. Today, there are two new versions of this American tank, still in use in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine.

Discover the history and performance of the M1 Abrams tank!

M1 Abrams tank: a bit of history!

The idea for the M1 Abrams tank was hatched in February 1972 at Fort Knox. Indeed, a task force was ordered to brainstorm and design a new main battle tank, called the Main Battle Tank (MBT). The US Navy quickly requested prototypes from two manufacturers: General Motors and Chrysler. The idea was to create a competition for the best tank at the best price.

Expectations for this new battle tank were crew safety, the ability to hit the target on the first shot, rapid target acquisition and attainment, mobility, secondary armament, material safety, potential for further development and ease of transport.

The new battle tank was originally named XM815, inspired by the lessons learned from the Yom Kippur War, which took place at the same time. The project was then renamed XM-1. In the end,Chrysler won the competition, and the first XM-1 prototypes appeared in February 1978.

It was later widely commissioned and renamed the 105mm Gun Tank M1 Abrams. Its name was chosen as a tribute to Creighton Abrams, battalion commander of the 4th Armored Division during the Second World War, then Chief of Staff of the US Army in 1972.

M1 Abrams tank: how much does it cost?

In 2021, the Government Accountability Office estimated the total cost of purchasing an M1A2 tank (the latest version of the M1 Abrams tank) at $12.5 million. It'sone of the most expensive tanks in the world!

Previously, the M1A1 tank (second version of the M1 Abrams tank) was valued at $7.5 million in 2015. In 2006, the same version was valued at $5.3 million.

M1 Abrams tank: state-of-the-art technical performance

The M1 Abrams tank boastsexcellent technical performance. With each successive version, these performances have been improved and others added to make it an ultra-powerful combat tank, one of the most powerful in the world. It has proved its worth in numerous conflicts, including the Gulf War, the Iraq War and most recently in Ukraine.

Here are the technical performances of the latest version of the M1 Abrams model, the M1A2 Abrams tank:

Armaments of the M1 Abrams tank

The armament of the M1A2 Abrams tank is even better than that of the original M1 Abrams tank! Its main armament is a 120 mm M256 smoothbore cannon (42 shells). The M1A2 Abrams tank has five secondary weapons: an M2HB.50 BMG 12.7 mm machine gun (900 rounds), two M240 7.62 mm machine guns (11,400 rounds) and two M250 batteries of 6 x 66 mm smoke canisters.

Technical power and engine of the M1 Abrams tank

The M1A2 M1 Abrams tank features an Avco Lyocoming AGT-1500 turbocharged engine rated at 1,501 hp (1,119 kW) at 3,000 rpm.

Mobility and speed of the M1 Abrams tank

The mobility of the M1 Abrams tank is impressive! Its ground pressure is 1.08 kg/cm². Its road speed is rated at 66 km/h and its off-road speed at 48 km/h. It can negotiate slopes of up to 60% and has a power-to-weight ratio of 22.4 to 24.1 hp/t.

Autonomy of the M1 Abrams tank

The M1A2 tank has an estimated range of 426 km. The M1A2 SEP tank has a range of 391 km.

M1 Abrams tank: the different variants of this American tank

The M1 Abrams tank: the first version no longer in production

The M1 Abrams tank is the first version of this American tank. It was produced from February 1980 to February 1985. A total of 3,273 examples of this version were produced during these 5 years. At the time, the M1 Abrams had a 105 mm gun and a "short" turret.

The M1A1 Abrams tank: the second version

The M1A1 Abrams tank was produced from 1986 to 1994. The M1A1 tank is distinguished from the original M1 Abrams by its larger-calibre M256 gun. It was used in the Gulf War, Iraq War, Afghanistan War and the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. Recently, photographs have been taken of the M1A1 tank during the Ukrainian War.

It came in three versions, improved over the years:

• M1A1 tank: produced from 1985 to 1988, it was valued at around 5,952 units.
• M1A1 HA tank: 1,328 produced from 1988 to 1991.
• M1A1 HA+ tank: only 834 produced from 1991 to 1994.

The M1A2 Abrams tank: the latest version

The M1A2 Abrams tank is the latest version of this American tank model. It appeared in the US Army in October 1994. Significantly improved on its predecessor, the M1A1, the M1A2 Abrams tank features a panoramic commander's sight, and all on-board electronics are digitized (90%).

As with the M1A1 tank, this version of the M1 Abrams tank came in 5 versions:

• M1A2 tank: 70 produced from 1992 to 1999.
• M1A2 SEP v1 tank: 300 old examples taken over for conversion in 1999.
• Char M1A2 SEP v2: production from 2008 to 2017.
• Char M1A2 SEP v3: the latest version in production since 2017.
• M1E3 tank: the latest version of the Abrams tank, not yet in production. It will be inspired by the Russian-Ukrainian war and should appear in the 2030s.

M1 Abrams tank: in which conflicts was it used?

The M1 Abrams tank has been used in numerous conflicts around the world. It was used in the Gulf War, the Iraq War, the Yemeni Civil War, the Afghan War, the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and recently in Ukraine. It is an excellent battle tank used by many armies, including the US Army, the Army of Saudi Arabia, the Army of Morocco, Kuwait and Taiwan.

All our articles on the world's best tanks :

• Char Leclerc: French heritage par excellence!
• Leopard 2: everything you need to know about this legendary German tank

Want to become a tank driver? Read our article on what you need to know before becoming a tank pilot!