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In 1976, the army selected Chrysler's design for what would become the Abrams tank, and designated the Lima plant, operated by Chrysler, to initially build the tank. The army pressured Chrysler, in financial difficulty, to form a subsidiary, Chrysler Defense, to hold and protect the tank contract from potential bankruptcy proceedings.
The M1 Abrams (/ ˈeɪbrəmz /) [10] is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare, it is one of the heaviest tanks in service at nearly 73.6 short tons (66.8 metric tons).
The first M1 tank was manufactured by American armoured vehicle manufacturer General Dynamics Land Systems in 1978 and was first delivered to the US Army in 1980. Each model costs around $10m to ...
During the 1980s and 1990s, the Block III main battle tank from the Armored Systems Modernization (ASM) program was expected to succeed the M1 Abrams family in the 1990s. The design has an unmanned turret with a 140 mm main gun, as well as improved protection. The end of the Cold War would ultimately end the program.
U.S. Marines load an AGT1500 engine back into an M1A1 Abrams tank at Camp Coyote, Kuwait in February 2003. The Avco-Lycoming AGT1500 is a gas turbine engine. It is the main powerplant of the M1 Abrams series of tanks. The engine was originally designed and produced by the Lycoming Turbine Engine Division in the Stratford Army Engine Plant.
Soviet Union. Netherlands. Leopard 2 A6. 20. Germany. Most MBTs retired in 2011, 100 Leopard 2 MBTs sold to Finland in 2014. 18 Dutch Leopard 2s are still in use in the German-Dutch tank battalion Panzerbataillion 414 (leased).
In 2011, the co-production program has yielded approximately 1,130 Abrams tanks. [9] The shipment of additional tank kits to the factory was suspended, along with the transfer of other military vehicles, in response to the Egyptian military's violent crackdown of Muslim Brotherhood supporters following the removal of Mohamed Morsi from power. [10]
The first generation of post World War II Main Battle Tanks includes the U.S. M48/M60, the German Leopard 1 and the British Centurion and Chieftain. The second generation includes most of the 120 mm Main Battle Tanks such as the American M1A1, the German Leopard 2 and the British Challenger.