Monday, October 7, 2013

Scale Military Modeller International 10/2013

The M1 Abrams is a third generation American Main Battle Tank and named after General Creighton Abrams, a former Chief of Staff during the Vietnam war. Highly mobile and designed for modern armoured ground warfare, the M1 is well armed and heavily protected, and notable features include the use of a powerful multi-fuel gas-turbine, the adoption of sophisticated composite armour and separate ammunition storage in a 'blowout'compartment for crew safety. The M1 Abrams entered US service in 1980, replacing the M60 and currently there are three main versions deployed, the M1, M1A1, and M1A2, incorporating improved armament, protection and electronics. These improvements, as well as periodic upgrades to older tanks, have allowed this long-serving vehicle to remain in frontline service, and the M1A3 is currently under development. The M1 has played a major part in the two Persian Gulf Wars, as well as seeing action in Afghanistan, and remains at the forefront of American armoured warfare.

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