Central Command spokesperson told FP. One M1 fought on the side of pro-Iran militias in skirmishes with U. The Kurds disabled the M1. The General Dynamics contractor said in late February that just two M1s remain unaccounted for. In December, American pressure on the Iraqis increased, but the Iraqis believed the Americans were bluffing, the contractor said. Technically, the U. But for all practical purposes, the tank-maintenance effort is in limbo until the Iraqis get the last two M1s back from the militias.
At present, just 10 General Dynamics employees are still in Iraq as part of the M1 program, the contractor said. Their only job is to protect the dozens of broken-down and battle-damaged tanks that remain in storage. A General Dynamics spokesperson declined to comment on the issue. The Iraqi Embassy in Washington, D. The contractor expressed pride in his work in Iraq. A Russian T main battle tank variant cruises through mud and water during a demonstration.
Iraqi military officials announced the tanks are going to two battalions within the 9th Armored Division, 35th Mechanized Brigade, according to a translation of the video by Military Times staff. The remaining Abrams tanks were redistributed over the 34th Armored Brigade, also within the same division. The deal was initiated at a time when as many as nine M1A1 Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, which are primarily Shiite units connected to Iran but permitted to fight by the Iraqi government.
Although Pahon added that the equipment was used to fight Islamic State militants, there have been reports that Abrams tanks helped crush Kurdish separatists in Kirkuk, Iraq , in October. Regardless, the alleged use of the Abrams by Iranian-backed militias has caused some speculation that General Dynamics would pull its contract to maintain the tanks. If that were to happen, the existing Abrams fleet could fall into disrepair. Moving to a Russian procurement process with the T tanks would circumvent that point of friction.
More In Flashpoints. America and its foes remain in the way of a landmine-free future: report The International Campaign to Ban Landmines has been issuing the report annually since In Other News. Mark Milley. Other improvements are to include a lighter mm gun, added road wheels with improved suspension, a more durable track, lighter armor, long-range precision armaments, and infrared camera and laser detectors.
A new internal computer system is also planned, with current cabling replaced by fiber-optic cables that can reduce weight by two tons. The developing Ground Combat Vehicle seeks to generate a family of combat vehicles that could permanently replace the M1 as well as many other U. The Army anticipates that the Abrams may remain in service until In the plant would reopen to upgrade existing tanks.
The downside to the three-year plant closing is the loss of the skilled human capital required to build the M1. These types of job skills must be learned on the job as the building is too unique to offer any type of educational program in a trade school environment.
The buy is to mitigate Abrams FLIR industrial base risks, and sustain development and production capability. Congress and General Dynamics had been criticized for redirecting money to keep production lines open.
General Dynamics contends that they are not forcing more tanks onto the Army, but that they are changing their configuration to make them the most modern. At the time, most Army National Guard units operated the M1A1, while only two Guard units and the rest of the Army had upgraded versions. The 12 upgraded tanks will be going to the National Guard to expand a "pure fleet. Makers of those subcomponents were not in danger of going out of business, but a prolonged shutdown could cause them to lose their ability to produce them.
Foreign sales are also not certain to keep orders, as planned contracts from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, and Egypt have been pushed back or are unknown. Even though money is being spent to protect the industrial base, some feel those strategic choices should not be made by members of Congress, especially those with the facilities in their district. There is still risk of production gaps even with production extended through With funds awarded before recapitalization is needed, budgetary pressures may push planned new upgrades for the Abrams from to Military Wiki Explore.
Popular pages. Project maintenance. Register Don't have an account? History of the M1 Abrams. Edit source History Talk 0. Of the nine Abrams destroyed, seven were due to friendly fire, and two were intentionally destroyed to prevent capture after they became disabled. Other Abrams tanks were damaged by enemy fire, land mines, on-board fires, or to prevent capture after they became disabled.
The crew, uninjured, was evacuating the disabled tank when two DU rounds hit the tank in the left side of the hull and exited through the right side. The tank commander, driver, and gunner sustained injuries from fragments. The loader, who was already outside the tank, was uninjured.
A crew members assisted in rescuing A's crew. CALL reported that the crew involved in the incident stated that one projectile had bounced off the tank and the other had embedded itself in the armor. The three most probable answers are T main gun, dismounted anti-tank missile, or Apache launched Hellfire missile. The fact that Apaches were operating to our rear and witnesses' reports of high round trajectory support the friendly fire theory. However, ballistics reports suggest that mm HEAT rounds produced the damage on some of the tanks.
Visual examination of others reveals one obvious sabot hole. Overall, the physical evidence implies that T fire took out our tanks, but the friendly fire possibility cannot be excluded.
Note that the M1 was hit in the rear hull, not in the turret. The crew is extracted safely and the tank left behind, not before it is destroyed by the task force commander who fires two rounds into it. The first bounces off, the second penetrates and set it on fire[…] The terrain is still causing problems. On the attack several vehicles get embedded in mud and can't be extracted.
0コメント