M1A1 Abrams

The M1 Abrams originated from the MBT-70, a joint project between the United States and West Germany intended to replace the M60. Following the termination of this partnership in 1970, the U.S. Army initiated the XM815 project in 1972, later designated the XM1. Designed by Chrysler Defense, now General Dynamics Land Systems, the vehicle was selected over a General Motors prototype in 1976. The M1 entered service in 1980, while the M1A1 variant, featuring an upgraded main gun and armor, was produced between 1986 and 1992.

The M1A1 is powered by a Honeywell AGT1500 multifuel gas turbine engine and an Allison X-1100-3B automatic transmission. The chassis uses high-hardness-steel torsion bars with rotary shock absorbers. Protection is provided by Chobham composite armor, which utilizes ceramic blocks and resin between layers of rolled homogeneous armor. M1A1 models incorporate depleted uranium into the turret armor arrays. The primary armament is the M256 120 mm smoothbore gun, a license-produced version of the Rheinmetall L/44. Secondary weapons include a pintle-mounted .50 caliber M2HB heavy machine gun and two 7.62 mm M240 machine guns, one of which is coaxially mounted. Crew safety features include separate ammunition storage with blowout panels to vent explosions outward, an automatic halon firefighting system, and an overpressure system for nuclear, biological, and chemical protection.

The vehicle is the primary main battle tank of the United States Army and was used by the U.S. Marine Corps until the decommissioning of its tank battalions in 2021. It is operated by several countries, including Australia, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Poland, and Saudi Arabia. The M1A1 first saw combat during the Gulf War in 1991, where it engaged Soviet-designed T-54/55, T-62, and T-72 tanks. No Abrams were destroyed by enemy tank fire during that conflict. The tank has since been deployed in the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War. Iraqi forces utilized the M1A1 during the war against the Islamic State, and Saudi Arabia operated the vehicle during its intervention in Yemen. Starting in 2023, refurbished M1A1SA units were provided to Ukraine for use during the Russian invasion.