IOC: 1980
Total Production: 9,625
Total Program's Cost: USD$40 billion
M1A2 Abrams
IOC: 1998
Production: 533
Unitary Cost: USD$4.0 million
Origin:United States of America
Contractor/s:
General Dynamics
Description:
The Abrams tank has been designed to provide heavy armor superiority on the battlefield destroying enemy forces using mobility and firepower. It was deployed in the early 1980s replacing the aging M60 main battle tank in the US Army and in the USMC in the 1990s. It has been exported to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
More than 8,800 Abrams main battle tanks have been produced for the US Army, the USMC, Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In addition to its heavy armor, the Abrams tank features Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) protection and a powerful AGT 1500 gas engine which provides high mobility.
The Abrams can open fire moving or stationary, at night, in adverse weather against moving and stationary targets with a high probability of kill using depleted uranium penetration ammunition and its advanced ballistic computers, as well as its sensor package housed on the turret.
The M1A2 Abrams main battle tank features a M256 120mm smooth bore gun, two M240 7.62mm machine guns and a M2 12.7mm machine gun which provides a short range air defense capability against helicopters and low flying aircraft. The first M1A2 was fielded within the US Army in 1996. US Army M1A2s are remanufactured and upgraded existing M1 Abrams main battle tanks. This model retains mobility and increases firepower compared to previous M1 tank.
The M1A2 provides the Abrams with improvements in lethality, survivability, and fightability required to defeat advanced threats. The A2 includes a commander's independent thermal viewer (CITV), an improved weapon station, fire control system, and increased armor. The US Army has a requirement to upgrade older M1 to the M1A2 configuration. The first US Army M1A2-equipped unit was ready in 1998.
The General Dynamics M1A1/M1A2 Tank Urban Survivability Kit (TUSK) consists of Loader's Armor Gun Shield (LAGS), a Tank Infantry Phone (TIP), Abrams Reactive Armor Tiles (ARAT), a Remote Thermal Sight (RTS) and a Power Distribution Box (PDB). This add-on crew enhanced survivability kit was ordered by the US Army for the first time in late August 2006 as a rapid response to the threat posed by insurgents to heavyweight tanks in Iraq. The order was valued at $45 million for production and installation of 505 tank kits.
Specifications Accommodation: Crew 4
Guns: Main Gun Caliber 120 mm
Dimensions: Height 2.4 m, Length 9.8 m, Width 3.7 m
Weights: Max Weight 69,540 kg (153,307 lb)
Performance: Cross Country Speed 13 mps (26 kt), Max Range 411 km (222 nm), Top Speed 19 mps (37 kt)
Kuwait / 218 
Saudi Arabia / 315 
United States of America / 586 