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M1 Abrams Tank: If It Burns, It Can Fuel This Armored Warrior
https://nationalinterest.org/ ^ | December 1, 2023 | Peter Suciu

Posted on 12/23/2024 8:20:13 PM PST by Jonty30

If It Burns, It Can Fuel the M1 Abrams - When President Joe Biden announced earlier this year that the United States would provide Ukraine with a number of M1 Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs), some critics suggested the tank was not well-suited to the task – despite the tank literally being designed to confront Soviet armor in Europe.

At issue was that the M1 Abrams is powered by a gas-turbine engine, which was designed to burn jet fuel; something it doesn't do especially efficiently. That does make for a speedy tank, but almost every other armored vehicle – including the Leopard 2 – runs on diesel fuel. There were concerns that could present logistical challenges for the Ukrainian military, which would need a steady supply of JP-8 aviation fuel delivered to the front.

Or maybe not


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Military/Veterans; Reference; Society
KEYWORDS:
It's kind of like my old car. If it burns, put it in.
1 posted on 12/23/2024 8:20:13 PM PST by Jonty30
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To: Jonty30

I saw a car on fire the other night (very impressive). Whatever they put in it, it burned.


2 posted on 12/23/2024 8:56:55 PM PST by Cold Heart
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To: Cold Heart
>>(very impressive).

If they had turned the ignition off, the high pressure fuel pump would not be feeding the fire.

3 posted on 12/23/2024 9:38:29 PM PST by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's for sure.)
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To: Jonty30

“M1 Abrams Tank: If It Burns”

I think the Ukraine War shows that they do burn, like every other tank (and especially the EV tanks that the Neocons are working on for their next-generation, ‘sustainable’, combat capability).

In any case, not too many burning now, since the Neocons told them to pull the M1’s back from the front lines, as it’s impacting their marketing efforts.


4 posted on 12/23/2024 9:47:53 PM PST by BobL
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To: Jonty30
"Fuel really shouldn't be a problem, said one former U.S. Army tanker, who claimed to have operated the M1 Abrams."

I am with him. Jet fuel is diesel fuel. My ship burned Diesel fuel until our second deployment to IV Corp when we filled the tanks with JP-5 for the Seawolf gunships. The only problem was that it did not lubricate as well, so we carried a couple buckets of extra injectors for when one froze.

5 posted on 12/23/2024 9:50:03 PM PST by Retain Mike ( Sat Cong)
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To: Deaf Smith

That fire was way beyond any fuel pump when I saw it.


6 posted on 12/23/2024 10:04:29 PM PST by Cold Heart
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To: Retain Mike

I knew a guy that bought race car fuel at an auction. He didn’t know at the time that it was race car fuel, only that it was fuel.

He would pour some in his tank and fill the rest with regular fuel to create a high octane mix that he could use in his car.


7 posted on 12/23/2024 10:11:46 PM PST by Jonty30 (Genghis Khan did not have the most descendants. His father had more. )
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To: Jonty30

Designed more than 40 years ago. The entire battlefield has changed dramatically in 40 years.


8 posted on 12/24/2024 1:45:14 AM PST by GrumpyOldGuy
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To: Jonty30

The exhaust is easily picked up by satellites and drones.
The tank is then an easy target


9 posted on 12/24/2024 4:44:13 AM PST by Steven Tyler
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To: Jonty30

The Abrams was designed to run on DF2. It had the capability to inject fuel into the exhaust stream to make copies amounts of smoke. When it was switched over to JP8, the tank could not do that. JP8 does not make smoke in the exhaust. DF2 is denser than JP8.


10 posted on 12/24/2024 5:45:54 AM PST by IndispensableDestiny
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To: Jonty30

Uh, no. Did you miss the phrase “gas turbine engine?”


11 posted on 12/24/2024 5:54:04 AM PST by sauropod ("You didn't take a country. You only won a football game!" - Dan Dakich Ne supra crepidam)
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To: sauropod

The article isn’t claiming to burn all things with equal efficiency. Just that it can take almost any fuel and run. That’s a great thing to have, during war, when your ideal fuel may not be accessible but other fuels are.


12 posted on 12/24/2024 5:57:25 AM PST by Jonty30 (Genghis Khan did not have the most descendants. His father had more. )
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To: Jonty30

In the current drone war environment, the Abrams hasn’t been the game-changer some thought it would be. The Bradley, though, seems to be very popular. Quick in and out, and when they get hit the crew has a good chance of surviving.


13 posted on 12/24/2024 6:18:50 AM PST by marron
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To: Jonty30
I've thought about getting a surplus 2 1/2 ton truck with a multi-fuel engine, then cut the frame and bed to make it a 2 axle vehicle. Then put a multi-way tilt bed on the rear.

It would be a pretty cool full size pickup.

14 posted on 12/24/2024 6:23:48 AM PST by fso301
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To: Jonty30

Ukrainian M1 Abrams Commander Talks Tank’s Major Vulnerabilities, Advantages in Combat
The M1 commander highlighted glaring issues with the M1 that make it vulnerable on a drone drenched battlefield, while also praising its resilience.
https://www.twz.com/news-features/ukrainian-m1-abrams-commander-talks-tanks-major-vulnerabilities-advantages-in-combat


“Thank God for the Americans”, the commander said.


15 posted on 12/24/2024 6:48:13 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: Jonty30

Matters little, Vlad vaporized the majority of our M1’s, and Leopards, and Strykers, and MRAPs, etc, etc, etc…...all flushed down the filthy Ukie toilet.

Such a waste.


16 posted on 12/24/2024 7:47:29 AM PST by delta7
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