The M1 Abrams was designed by Chrysler Defense and produced under the General Dynamics brand. The tank was introduced in 1979, entered service in 1980 and is still undergoing production. The system has been featured in the 1991 Gulf War and Bosnia along with the US invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. Along with the United States, operators of the Abrams include Australia, Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. As of this writing, roughly 8,800 Abrams have been produced in all its varied forms. In US military operations, the Abrams currently serves with both the US Army and the US Marine Corps.

The origins of the M1 Abrams can be traced back to a failed partnership between the United States and West Germany in producing a new generation main battle tank system with the latest capabilities to combat whatever the Soviets were brewing (this turned out to be the T-72). The US Army was then fielding the M60 Patton series (its own origins lay in the World War 2-era M26 Pershing heavy tank) as their main battle tank and it was largely believed that the T-72 would outclass the Patton as soon as it arrived - likewise for the West Germans and their post-war Leopard 1 main battle tanks. The joint design became known as the MBT-70.

The MBT-70 offered a low profile with a powerful main gun (152mm coupled to an XM-150 autoloader for the American model and an auto-loading 120mm Rheinmetall gun for the German model). The turret was sloped on all sides and set in the middle of the design and housed the entire crew (the remarkably low silhouette - at just over 6 feet tall - necessitated that the driver be placed in the turret with the tank commander and gunner). With the autoloader, operation of the MBT-70 required the use of only three personnel similar to Russian auto-loading MBTs. The hull was sloped towards the front, flat-faced at the rear engine compartment and showcased barely any surface exposure along the sides above the tracks. A 20mm cannon could be used in the air defense role, this springing up from behind the driver's cupola. A 7.62mm co-axial machine gun mount was standard on the MBT-70, and on any tank since World War 2 for that matter. The profile of the MBT-70 was characterized by its medium-sized road wheels with six fitted to a side. The American version of the MBT-70 would have fired a barrel-launched Shillelagh anti-tank missile at long ranges. Suspension was of an advanced hydropneumatic type that was fully adjustable on-the-fly by the driver. Despite it being a heavy 50+ ton tank design, the MBT-70 was reportedly able to reach an unheard of maximum speed of 52 miles-per-hour.

Specifications for the
M1 Abrams
Main Battle Tank

Country of Origin:United States
Manufacturer:General Dynamics Land Systems - USA
Initial Year of Service:1980
Production:9,200

Focus Model:M1A1 Abrams
Crew:4

Overall Length:32.25ft (9.83m)
Width:11.98ft (3.65m)
Height:9.45ft (2.88m)
Weight:69.5 US Short Tons (63,086kg; 139,081lbs)

Powerplant:1 x Textron Lycoming AGT-1500 gas-turbine generating 1,500bhp @ 30,000rpm.

Maximum Speed:42mph (67 km/h)
Maximum Range:265 miles (426 km)

NBC Protection:Yes
Nightvision:Yes - Passive

Armament:
ORIGINAL (M1):
1 x 105mm Royal Ordnance M68A1 (L7) rifled main gun.
1 x 12.7mm Browning M1HB air-cooled anti-aircraft heavy machine gun in commander's cupola.
1 x 7.62mm M240 co-axial machine gun
1 x 7.62mm M240 machine gun at loader's hatch
2 x 6 smoke grenade dischargers

STANDARD (M1A1/M1A2):
1 x 120mm Rheinmetall M256A1 (L/44) smoothbore main gun.
1 x 12.7mm Browning M1HB air-cooled anti-aircraft heavy machine gun in commander's cupola.
1 x 7.62mm M240 co-axial machine gun
1 x 7.62mm M240 machine gun at loader's hatch
2 x 6 smoke grenade dischargers

Ammunition:
40 x 120mm projectiles
1,000 x 12.7mm ammunition
12,400 x 7.62mm ammunition
12 x smoke grenades

Variants:
XM1 - Prototype Model Designation.

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M1 - Base Production Model; 105mm rifled M68 main gun; 3,273 examples produced.

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M1IP ("Improvement Production") - 105mm rifled M68 main gun; various upgrades.

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M1A1 - Upgraded from Royal Ordnance rifled 105mm main gun to Rheinmetall smoothbore 120mm main gun; armor upgrade package; decreased road speed to 41.5 mph.

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M1A1HC ("Heavy Common") - Based on M1A1; fitted with depleted uranium armor mesh; improved storage; 120mm smoothbore main gun; pressurized NBC protection system.

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M1A1-D ("Digital") - Based on M1A1HC; highly-evolved Abrams fitted with digital suite.

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M1A1-AIM ("Abrams Integrated Management") - Based on the M1A1-D; reconditioned former Abrams units; fitted with FLIR and various other sensors; onboard phone system and applicable communications; thermal sight for commander's 12.7mm gun.

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M1A1 KVT ("Krasnovian Variant Tank") - M1A1 models designed to mimic the look of Soviet-era tanks for training purposes.

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M1A1M - Iraqi Export Model; based on the M1A1.

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M1A2 - Land navigation system, new commander's Independent Thermal Viewer and new armor.

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M1A2 SEP ("System Enhancement Package") - Improved Road Speed to 42mph; increased combat weight to 69.5 tons; improved depleted uranium armor protection utilizing graphite.

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M1A1/M1A2 "Grizzly" CMV ("Combat Mobility Vehicle") - Dozer-fitted for Battlefield Engineering Vehicle assignments.

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M1 "Panther II" - Remote-Controlled Mine Clearing Vehicle

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M1 "Panther II" - Mine Clearing Vehicle variant with Blade/Roller System .

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M104 "Wolverine" HAB ("Heavy Assault Bridge")- Bridgelayer based on M1 chassis.

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M1 ABV ("Assault Breacher Vehicle") - Prototype Stage for ultimate use by the US Marines

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M1 ARV ("Armored Recovery Vehicle") - Single Proposed Prototype

Operators:
Australia; Egypt; Kuwait; Iraq; Morocco (possible); Saudi Arabia; United States

Additional Notes

This tank is by far one of the worlds best and most advanced army tank.