M1 Abrams

The M1 Abrams is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense, now General Dynamics Land Systems, and entered United States Army service in 1980. It introduced a multifuel turbine engine, sophisticated Chobham composite armor and a computer-controlled fire-control system to American armored forces, technologies that together set it apart from the tanks it replaced. During the 1991 Gulf War the M1A1 variant proved vastly superior to the Iraqi armor it faced, with no M1s lost to enemy tank fire and the ability to engage targets at ranges exceeding 8,200 feet, well beyond the roughly 6,600-foot effective range of the Iraqi tanks it fought. The Abrams has remained the primary main battle tank of the United States Army and Marine Corps since its introduction, undergoing repeated armor and electronics upgrades across successive variants.