M1E1 "Abrams" main battle tank The M1 Abrams tank is equipped with a system of protection against weapons of mass destruction, which, if necessary, provides a supply of purified air from the filtering unit to the masks of the crew members, and also creates excess pressure in the fighting compartment to prevent radioactive dust or toxic substances from entering it. There are devices for radiation and chemical reconnaissance. The temperature of the air inside the tank can be raised with a heater. For external communications, the AM / URS-12 radio station is used, for internal communications, a tank intercom. Six observation periscopes are installed around the perimeter of the commander's turret for all-round visibility. An electronic (digital) ballistic computer, made on solid-state elements, calculates the angular corrections for firing with a fairly high accuracy. From the laser rangefinder, the values ​​​​of the range to the target, the speed of the crosswind, the ambient temperature and the angle of inclination of the axis of the trunnions of the gun are automatically entered into it. In addition, data on the type of projectile, barometric pressure, charge temperature, barrel wear, as well as corrections for misalignment of the direction of the barrel axis and the line of sight are manually entered. After detecting and identifying the target, the gunner, holding the crosshair on it, presses the laser rangefinder button. The range value is displayed in the gunner's and commander's sights. Then the gunner selects the type of ammunition by setting the four-position switch to the appropriate position. The loader, meanwhile, is loading the cannon. A light signal in the gunner's sight notifies that the gun is ready to open fire. The angular corrections from the ballistic computer are entered automatically. The disadvantages are the presence of only one eyepiece in the gunner's sight, which tires the eyes, especially when the tank is moving, as well as the lack of a tank commander's sight, independent of the gunner's sight. Battle tank M1 "Abrams" on the march. The engine compartment is located at the rear of the vehicle. Gas turbine engine AOT-1500 is made in one unit with automatic hydromechanical transmission X-1100-ZV. If necessary, the entire unit can be replaced in less than 1 hour. The choice of a gas turbine engine is explained by a number of its advantages over a diesel engine of the same power. First of all, this is the possibility of obtaining more power with a smaller volume of the gas turbine engine. In addition, the latter has approximately half the mass, a relatively simple design and 2-3 times longer service life. In addition, it better meets the multi-fuel requirements. At the same time, its disadvantages are noted, such as increased fuel consumption and the complexity of air cleaning. AOT-1500 is a three-shaft engine with a two-flow axial centrifugal compressor, an individual tangential combustion chamber, a two-stage power turbine with an adjustable first-stage nozzle apparatus and a stationary ring plate heat exchanger. The maximum gas temperature in the turbine is 1193°C. The speed of rotation of the output shaft is 3000 rpm. The engine has good throttle response, which provides the M1 Abrams tank with acceleration to a speed of 30 km / h in 6 seconds. The X-1100-XNUMXV automatic hydromechanical transmission provides four forward and two reverse gears. It consists of an automatic lock-up torque converter, a planetary gearbox and a stepless hydrostatic slewing mechanism. The undercarriage of the tank includes seven road wheels on board and two pairs of supporting rollers, a torsion bar suspension, and tracks with rubber-metal lining. On the basis of the M1 Abrams tank, special-purpose vehicles were created: a heavy tank bridge layer, a roller mine trawl and an armored repair and recovery vehicle NAV bridge layer. The tower of the main tank M1 "Abrams". The promising American main battle tank "Block III" is being developed on the basis of the "Abrams" tank. It has a small turret, an automatic loader and a crew of three, positioned shoulder to shoulder in the tank's hull. The performance characteristics of the main combat tank M1A1/M1A2 "Abrams" Combat weight, т 57,15/62,5 Crew, people 4 Dimensions, mm: length with gun forward 9828 width 3650 height 2438 clearance 432/482 Armor, mm combined with depleted uranium Armament: M1 105-mm rifled gun М68Е1; two 7,62 mm machine guns; 12,7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun M1A1 / M1A2 120 mm Rh-120 smoothbore gun, two 7,62 mm M240 machine guns and a 12,7 mm Browning 2NV machine gun Ammunition: M1 55 rounds, 1000 rounds of 12,7 mm, 11400 rounds of 7,62 mm M1A1 / M1A2 40 rounds, 1000 rounds of 12,7 mm, 12400 rounds of 7,62 mm Engine “Lycoming textron” AGT-1500, gas turbine, power 1500 hp at 3000 rpm Specific ground pressure, kg / cm 0,97/1,07 Highway speed km / h 67 Cruising on the highway km 465/450 Obstacle obstacles: wall height, м 1,0 ditch width, м 2,70 ship depth, м 1,2 Sources: N. Fomich. “American tank M1 “Abrams” and its modifications”, “Foreign Military Review”; M. Baryatinsky. “Whose tanks are better: T-80 vs. Abrams”; G.L. Kholyavsky "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Tanks 1915 - 2000"; M1 Abrams [New Military Technique Magazine Library №2]; Spasibukhov Y. “M1 Abrams. US main battle tank”; Tankograd Publishing 2008 “M1A1/M1A2 SEP Abrams Tusk”; Bellona Publishing “M1 Abrams American Tank 1982-1992”; Steven J.Zaloga “M1 Abrams vs T-72 Ural: Operation Desert Storm 1991”; Michael Green “M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank:The Combat and Development History of the General Dynamics M1 and M1A1 Tanks”.