M1A1HC Abrams in Syria, 2008
M1 Abrams is the main battle tank of the U.S. forces. It is used by both Army and Marines. The tank can easily overcome anything the Syrians throw in it's way. The most advanced ATGM systems prove a threat though. The TUSK upgrade (included in the patch 1.10) adds reactive armor which provides additional defense against rockets and missiles. The closest equivalent that the Syrians have is the T-72M1 TURMS-T in the base game and T-90 in the Marines module. It can be found in the games Combat Mission: Shock Force, Combat Mission: Shock Force Marines, Combat Mission: Black Sea and Combat Mission: Cold War.
Tips for using the vehicle[]
- Heavily armored, only few tanks / AT-missiles have a chance against this venerable tank. Especially in the Syrian front the Abrams is the king of the battlefield.
- Very modern ATGM's like AT-14 'Kornet' can take it out even from front.
- Should usually lead formations with softer vehicles like Strykers and light vehicles following behind.
- Abrams' and Bradleys were designed to work closely together.
Technical information[]
M1 Abrams participating in an exercise in National Training Center, USA in 1982
- 120mm smoothbore gun
- Coaxial 7.62mm MG
- Remote controlled commander's .50cal MG
- Pintle mounted M240B MG
- Advanced fire control system
Composite Chobham and Depleted Uranium armor
- Powerful gas turbine engine
- Weighs:
- 57.2 tons (M1A1HC/M1A1HCSA)
- 63.0 tons (M1A2/M1A2SEP)
- 65.0 tons (M1A2SEPv2)
M1A2v2 SEP Abrams tanks opening fire in Ukraine, 2017
Ammo:
- 120mm HEAT
- 120mm APFSDS
- 120mm Multi (CMBS)
- 12.7mm
- 7.62mm
- Crew: 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Variants in the game[]
Base game (CMSF):
- M1A1HC (Heavy Common): designation for M1A1 tanks that have a series of upgrade packages installed. M1A1 itself is a major upgrade from the M1 series.
- M1A1HC SA (Situational Awarness upgrade): M1A1HC with various situational awarness upgrades installed. They include 2nd generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sights which increase the maximum engagement range and lethality. They also include fully integrated FBCB2 advanced command and control systems. Loader and commander have thermal sights added to their stations. Laser Range Finder (LRF) was added to the fire control system. Driver receives various vision enhancements. This upgrade brings the tank almost up to M1A2 SEP standard which makes it slightly superior to M1A2 variant.
- M1A1HC SA TUSK (Tank Urban Survival Kit upgrade): TUSK brings the M1 Abrams up to the MOUT standard. Includes Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks on the sides which increase survivabiltiy.
- M1A2: major improvements over M1A1 series include better turret and hull armor, 2 additional 120mm rounds of ammo and Commanders Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV). This variant lacks remotelly controlled commanders M2 .50cal machine gun. The commander has to unbutton in order to use the machine gun.
- M1A2 SEP (Systems Enhancement Package): most advanced tank in the world according to some standards. 2nd generation FLIR has been added to the commander for faster target acquisition. FBCB2 system has been integrated to the tank. Comparable to the M1A1HC SA.
- M1A2 SEP TUSK (Tank Urban Survival Kit upgrade): TUSK brings the M1 Abrams up to the MOUT standard. Includes Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks on the sides which increase survivabiltiy.
Tank Urban Survival Kit (TUSK)
Marines module (CMSF):
- Marine M1A1HC: designation for M1A1 tanks that have a series of upgrade packages installed. M1A1 itself is a major upgrade from the M1 series.
- Marine M1A1 FEP (Firepower Enchantement Program): Marines made decision to upgrade their current M1A1 tanks instead of upgrading to M1A2 variant. This upgrade brings capabilities to the fire control system similiar to M1A2 SEP. 2nd generation FLIR, Far Target Locator (FTL), integrated GPS navigation, laser range finder and other enhancements to aid gunnery.
Base game (CMBS):
- M1A2v2 SEP (Active Protection System, APS): The Trophy system can defeat incoming missiles.
- M1A2v2 SEP (Explosive Reactive Armor, ERA): ERA blocks can be fitted on the turret sides and skirt (much like TUSK in CMSF).
Base game (CMCW):
- M1: The original model which introduced several novel concepts.
Sources[]
- Combat Mission: Shock Force manual
- Marines module manual
- Combat Mission: Black Sea manual
- Combat Mission: Cold War manual