I'd like to see the Abram's current two treads replaced by four half tracks (two per side) such that losing a tread to manuevers, mines, IED's, or RPG fire wouldn't disable the vehicle.
I'd also like to see the older M1's get upgraded into urban assault vehicles by having their 105mm cannons replaced by the A-10 fighter's GAU-8 Avenger 30mm gattling cannon.
Having a vehicle that could shrug off RPG hits inside urban Najaf or Fallujah all day long, while returning fire at the rate of the A-10 fighter, would go a long way towards supporting our infantry grunts.
Surely that beats leaving the old M1's mothballed in Anniston, Alabama instead of making Iran nervous by deploying them forward to Iraq!
5 Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires
We've had tanks get hit as many as 15 times with RPG fire (Various types).
One particular tank was hit 8 times in one battle in Karbala. Zero crew members were lost under armor of an M1 in Baghdad from enemy activity.
The M1 is liked because it'll take even more than the best Tom Clancy fan would ever believe. That tank is made to be pummeled.
Even knowing where the weak armor is, the enemy most often couldn't even immobilize the M1 and then often paid with his life for trying.
The M1 is a beast. A tank that was mathematically designed and engineered to meet anything out there and kill it. Nothing on the M1 is random or coincidence! That machine costs more than what some countries pay for their fighters! For a SEP tank you pay over $7.2 million dollars (Empty). Many Americans saw this as a waste. Today, many Americans are at home because of this tank and its design.
NEVER in history, not even in WW2 with a King Tiger, has a tank had this track record. What your relative rode on in 1AD is a M1A1HA (AIMS and D model) which came out about 1985 (AIMS is to make an old tank like new for reliability and the “D” made them capable of dealing with digitalization)! The M1 is actually OLDER than some of its enemies in Iraq which were built AFTER 1985 (Even though the T72 is an older design). This tank has seen real world combat in three separate campaigns. There is only ONE case where two crewmembers have EVER been killed under armor from enemy activity in 24 years service and three campaigns.
The M1 proved invaluable in urban operations. With its 50cal which is remote controlled from within (Under armor) a coax and main gun the M1 was able to do things which spared the Infantry from conducting dangerous missions. The 50cal in particular was VERY effective because it can reach into building better and was able to super elevate (Allowing to shoot into higher floors of tall adjacent buildings) without needing to expose anyone. The M1A1 in this one respect has an advantage over the newer M1A2 and M1A2SEP.
The M1 is an awesome machine! Now, years later, and after a lot of criticism, no one really wants to admit that they were a skeptic of this machine.
Red6