M1A2 Abrams Tank Trials in Southwest Asia

In Southwest Asia by Major John C. Paulson The fmt production M1A2 tank rolled off the line at Lima Army Tank Plant on 1 December 1992, the fmt of 62 production tanks for the U.S. Army. The Army also plans to upgrade over a thousand M1 (105-mm) versions to the newer M1A2 (120-mm) configuration beginning in 1994. The MlA2’s outstanding performance makes it the main battle tank of choice for Saudi Arabia, which will purchase 315, and Kuwait, which will buy 236 MlA2s. At the time, the United Arab Emirates and Sweden were also looking at the M1A2 for their future main battle tank. Technical testing is ongoing at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Yuma Proving Ground. The initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOTE) will evaluate a company of M1A2 tanks in an operational environment this fall at Fort Hood, Texas. The First Unit Equipped (FUE) for the U.S. Army is currently slated for the third quarter of F’Y 95.

The M1A2 retains the best features of the Abrams family: 120-mm main gun, reliable and powerful drive train, and the heavy armor package. Some of the major enhancements on the M1A2 are the Intervehicular Information System, 1553b Data Bus, Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer, Improved Commander’s Weapn Station, a position navigation system, and Built-in Test and Fault Isolation. These major improvements, along with other enhancements, make the Abrams even more fightable, and bring the tank into the 21st Century. A team composed of soldiers from the Abrams Project Manager’s Office and the U.S. Army Armor School, along with personnel from General Dynamics Land Systems, recently took two MIA2 through a grueling series of desert trials in Southwest Asia at the request of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. The purpose of the exercises was to provide tankers of the three Anb nations the opportunity to put the M1A2 through a series of mobility, firepower, and maintenance trials on their home turf to see just how well the tank would perform.

Two M1A2 tanks were flown by C5B aircraft to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in July for month-long performance exercises. In October, both tanks were shipped via merchant vessel from Kuwait to the United Arab Emirates for the final leg of the desert tour.

The M1A2 posted great results in all three desert regions. In Sharourah, Saudi Arabia, soldiers from the Fort Knox M1A2 New Equipment Training (NET) team trained the Saudi crew members using the tank, and table top trainers. Using the tank’s Po-16 ARMOR - May-June 1993 sition Navigation (IQS/NAV) system, the crews completed a challenging 148-kilometer navigation course consisting of 15 way points. The U.S. and Saudi crew members fited a total of 102 main gun rounds during the demo. The exercise was a huge success. The Saudi soldiers and leaders were very impressed with the overall performance of the tank.

The Kuwaiti trial pitted the M1A2 against the British Challenger II. Throughout the month of August, with temperatures routinely ranging between 125 and 132 degrees Fahrenheit, the M1A2 went head-to-head against Challenger 11 to help determine which tank the Kuwaiti Army would buy. The M1A2 acheived superb results during the trials. The exercises were performed primarily by Kuwaiti crews. The Fort Knox M1A2 NET team trained the Kuwaitis on the Abrams.

During the mobility trials, the Abrams repeatedly outran the Challenger on the flat desert sands of the Kuwaiti countryside.

During the hilly cross-country mobility run, the Challenger failed, after several attempts, to take a soft sand slope of 3040 percent, 25m in height. When the Challenger finally backed off, the M1A2 took the hill on the first try with power to spare. The Kuwaiti evaluators were extremely impressed.

During the gunnery portion, both tanks fired for accumcy at various cants, pitches, and distances. Using a full Kuwaiti crew, the M1A2 performed well, hitting six out of six targets at 15OOm. The Challenger 11's performance was less impressive. The British and U.S. crews each fued their own tanks at a 381Om target (an Iraqi T-55 shell). I observed both tanks fire and went downrange to inspect the results. The M1A2 hit one out of two with M829 SABOT. The Challenger fued High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) in an indirect fire mode, and after a series of ten shots, placed a three-round shot group within 20m of the target. Above and at right, the Abrams tackles the soft sand slope test in its mobility demonstration. The competing British Challenger It had difficulty in this test. Below, the Abrams demonstrates its speed racing across the desert in another evaluation of the tanks mobility. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are all in the market for new main battle tanks and are evaluating the British DESERT STORM veteran and the improved version of the U.S. tank. The UAE recently indicated it may choose a third contender, the new French Leclerc MBT.

ARMOR - May-June 1993 17 Desert Duel Challenger II. fwegmnd, and M1A2 in Kuwait gunnery bials, where the Abrams hit 83 of 94 targets Below left. demonstration crew loads two-piece ammo on the Challenger II. r Far right, the M1A2 in Kuwait mobility trials.

Particularly impressive was the U.S. crew’s huntermller performance with the M1A2 using the Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV). The M1A2 hit four out of four hard targets in 32 seconds. The Challenger was timed at approximately 30 seconds longer.

In all, based on my observations, and checking the Kuwaiti evaluators preliminary results, the M1A2 hit 83 out of 94 targets at ranges between loo0 and 3000m. The Challenger 11 did not fare as well at the same distances.

The maintenance portion of the trial was more instructional than competitive. The Kuwaitis were impressed by the ease of maintenance, Built-In-Test diagnostics, and that no Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) were replaced due to failure from high temperature. The UAE. demo was notable for the tanks’ superb automotive performance in the wide variety of desert terrain found there. The U.A.E. terrain varies from hard flat desert sand like Kuwait, to a green desert with scattered trees, shrubs, and low level vegetation, to rocky cliffs. There are also high desert dunes composed of extremely fine sand that gives way with minimal pressure. With the exception of one thrown track when negotiating a 300-m high dune, the M1A2 power train and suspension handled the ground well. The T-158 track proved very strong and durable, allowing the U.S. tank team to walk the thrown track back on the tank and continue on a 60-km road march the following Other great performances by the tank in the U.A.E. included sending an overlay for a 1OO-km road march via the Intervehicular Information System ( M S ) between the two tanks. The Position Navigation (POS/NAV) system worked extremely well on a 35-lan course with varying terrain ranging from flat ground to small and medium-high sand dunes. The course consisted of six survey points given to the tank commander to set as way points in his Commander’s Integrated Display (CID). The U.SJU.A.E. combined tank crew was right on the money, navigating accurately to all six points. * The U.A.E. exercises concluded with an exceptionally impressive firepower demonstration viewed by many of the top military and civilian leaders of the Emirates’ armed forces, and the U.S. Ambassador. The demo scenario called for stationary and high speed moving engagements with multiple targets. The MIA2 and U.S. crew again shot extremely well, with the tank hitting four for four on the Huntermller uortion of the demo. In mobility, fmpower and maintainability, the M1A2 proved itself in 3 world class tank competition. More importantly, the U.S. Army and its Arab allies found that the tank’s performance exceeded expectations in three distinct, harsh desert environments.

Major John C. Paulson is a 1981 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. He received his commission in Armor, and after A06 and Ranger School, was assigned to 2-64th Armor in Schweinfurt, Germany, where he served as an M1 tank platoon leader and company XO. After the Advance Course, he served in the Maintenance Dept., USAARMS; brigade staff, 194th Armored Brigade; and as company commander, A Troop, 2-10 Cav. He is currently serving as chief, PM Abrams Field Office, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md. He has been working with the M1A2 since it began Technical Test in March 1991. He also participated in the M1A2 Early User Test and Evaluation (EUTE) and the Southwest Asia 1992 tank trials. i a