Information System (MS) to replace the current wiring; independent Commander and Driver thermal viewing systems (the CITY and DTV systems); a POS/NAV land navigation system; an updated digital fire-control system with new ballistic computer and the capability to carry and fire a new generation of advanced 120 mm 'smart' ammunition types that are currently being developed to deal with various battlefield targets. Although only 81 M1A2 have been built for the US Army a number of older Ml tanks are to be upgraded to the M1A2 standards, The exact number is currently set at 1079 with deliveries running from 1994 through to 2003. In 1988 Egypt ordered 524 M1A1 with the majority being built under license from kit form. In addition Saudi Arabia ordered 315 M1A2 with deliveries completed in 1994. Kuwait also chose the M1A2 as its next MET, ordering 218 in October 1992 with deliveries made between 1994-1996. During the Gulf War the M1A1 models undertook the brunt of the US Army armour battles destroying large numbers of Iraqi tanks at battle ranges of up to 3500 metres or more, The thermal viewing equipment could see targets at over 5000 metres and positively identify them 122
at over 1000-1500 metres. They also allowed enemy positions and vehicles to be seen in the worst of the battlefield conditions, namely the thick oil-fire smoke from the burning Kuwaiti oilfields. It was found that the 120 mm M829A1 APFSDS-T rounds used could be fired through five-foot thick sand berms used to protect Iraqi tanks in hull-down positions and still destroy the target. In another instance an M1A1 hit the turret of a T-72 with an anti-tank round which passed straight through the turret's side armour, the turret interior and the armour on the other side of the turret and then went on to hit and destroy a second T-72. On another occasion an M1A1 destroyed a T-72 by penetrating its frontal armour-at a range of 3500 metres. The M1A1 surviveability proved to be on a par with the Israeli Merkava: none was totally destroyed, nine were permanently disabled (mostly by friendly action or in two cases by their own crews when the vehicles had to be abandoned) and nine damaged (mainly by mines) but were considered repairable. Only a few dozen crewmen were injured in combat, At least seven MlAls were hit by 125 mm fire from T-72, none had any serious damage caused, One M1A1 suffered two direct hits from anti-tank
sabot rounds fired from a T-72 a approximately 500 metres away whid simply bounced off its front armour. The main danger faced by the Abram was the myriad of Iraqi anti-tank mine obtained from both Eastern and Wester sources and these weapons caused th disablement of several MlAls, The US Marine Corps also used 61 MlAl(HA) and 18 M1A1 Commoi Tanks in the Gulf War, but had to borrov the former from the US Army. Thes< equipped the 2nd Marine Tank Battalioi and the 4th Marine Tank Battalion assignee to units of the 1 st Marine Expeditionar Force, In 1994 General Dynamics wa; awarded a design study of the M1AJ System Enhancement Package (SEP this is aimed at being introduced into the current US Army M1A2 upgrade programme and as a retro-fit kit foi those MlA2s already introduced. The result will be an M1A2 suitable for the digital battlefield.
Opposite: US Army Ml A2 Abrams at speed in desert conditions
