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The M1 Abrams (/ ˈ eɪ b r ə m z /) [10] is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare , it is one of the heaviest tanks in service at nearly 73.6 short tons (66.8 metric tons ).
General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products was awarded a $14 million contract in 2007 to develop the ammunition handling system. [25] In January 2008, Raytheon was awarded a $232 million contract to develop the XM1111 Mid-Range Munition. The munition had been test fired from an M1 Abrams as early as March 2007. [26]
The total value of the contract was $299.4 million. Teams will develop concept designs during the 15-month long phase. [15] In June 2023, the Army downselected American Rheinmetall and GDLS to go forward in the competition.
How Russian tanks stack up against the American M1 Abrams. Chris Panella. December 30, 2024 at 5:30 AM ... From the design and combat capability perspectives, the two tank styles are very ...
In February 1980, the first M1 Abrams rolled out of LATP. After a contract the plant began producing the Abrams at a rate of 30 a month. Chrysler subsequently sold the Defense subsidiary to General Dynamics in 1982. [3] In January 1985, the last M1 rolled off the assembly line, and in October, production began on the improved M1 (IPM1).
Systems that the ASM sought to replace included the M1 Abrams main battle tank, M109 howitzer and M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. The Army spun out several of the systems— Advanced Field Artillery System , Line-of-Sight Anti-Tank and the Armored Gun System —after canceling the program, but all of these programs were eventually canceled.
In 2011, the co-production program has yielded approximately 1,130 Abrams tanks. [9] The shipment of additional tank kits to the factory was suspended, along with the transfer of other military vehicles, in response to the Egyptian military's violent crackdown of Muslim Brotherhood supporters following the removal of Mohamed Morsi from power. [10]
During the 1980s and 1990s, the Block III main battle tank from the Armored Systems Modernization (ASM) program was expected to succeed the M1 Abrams family in the 1990s. The design has an unmanned turret with a 140 mm main gun, as well as improved protection. The end of the Cold War would ultimately end the program.