Tank gas turbines greatly surpass diesel engines in service life which reaches only 600 - 900 working hours. Constructional changes radically increased weight and made developers to change engine to keep similar mobility characteristics, It has service life till major repair in 1 800 working hours or 15 000 km. M1A1 is fitted with "Honeywell" AGT-1500 gas turbine engine instead of similar "Avco Lycoming". All mentioned data allows to count-out projectile hitting target point. Data such as target’s range (from laser rangefinder), main gun’s axis inclination level, side wind speed, atmosphere temperature and pressure is automatically inserted while projectile type, it’s temperature, barrels channel wear level. Digital ballistic computer counts-out quiet high accuracy fire correction angles. Tank was fitted with new commander’s panoramic thermovision sight, laser rangefinder and improved ballistic computer, which work in one complex with thermovision system. There was also modernized fire control system. Main battle tank is fitted with thermo smoke equipment and L8A1 six-barrel smoke grenade launchers on each side of the turret boards. Tank's commander is able to use it with closed hatch. Furthermore it has special construction which blows off hatch and releases explosion energy threw it saving crew members, in case of direct hit into ammunition storage.Īdditional armament consists from coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun, other the same caliber machine gun placed in front of loaders hatch and 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on commanders observation turret. Ammunition load compartment has it's own hatch used to load ammunition storage. Ammunition load compartment is separated from crew with armored screens. Main gun is fitted with ejector and thermo sleeve body. Armament load is placed in special built armed combat load compartment. In case of greater dimension main gun’s rear part and projectiles, combat load was decreased to 40 from 55 used in M1 main battle tank. Every M1A1 projectile has flame able body and steel ground case. Furthermore there is a number of training projectiles. M256 combat load consists from unitary load with two main type projectiles: M827 undercaliber armor-piercing, with separating case and wolfram or percipient uranium heads M830 multipurpose cumulative and high explosion-fragmentation projectiles. Similar gun was placed in German main battle tank "Leopard 2". Main battle tank firepower was increased by new M256 120-mm smoothbore main gun, produced in USA under German "Rheinmetall" company license. Driver-mechanic use motorcycle-type steering wheel connected with automatic transmission. It allowed greatly incline frontal armed plate in vertical inclination level such increasing defense from armor-piercing projectiles. Similarly to British main battle tanks "Chieftain" and "Challenger", driver-mechanic with closed hatch is placed in half-lying position. Hull and turret are welded with multi-layered frontal armor similar to British armor "Chobhem" bu additionaly increased with by precipitant uranium plates built-in in frontal hull and turret multi-layer armor. Main battle tank has classic arrangement with frontal drivers compartment. Production lasted till 1993 when it was changed to improved modification M1A2. "General Dynamics" corporation was also producing M1A1 tanks under license. M1A1 main battle tanks were built in Ohio state, Lima city, national tank plant and in Michigan state, Voren city, "Detroit Arsenal" tank plant. Firstly they were deployed in US tank forces in German Federation Republic. In 1986 first modernized M1A1 "Abrams" entered service in US Armed Forces. Since 1988 M1A1 modification was produced with built-in precipitant uranium armor. M1A1 differed firstly in greater firepower and increased defense. Second and third modernization stages were made accordingly in 19 and led developing M1 "Abrams" main battle tank modernization M1A1 as new modification had a number greater abilities than it’s predecessor. This modification was idexed M1E1 and it was step to the new ability modification. First stage begun in 1984 already, after four years after the beginning of the serial production, and projected to increase frontal defense and apply new M733 projectile with increased armor-piercing ability. During M1 "Abrams" main battle tank serial production there were made some modernization stages.
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