The Abrams: Four Decades Of Excellence

The Abrams: Four Decades Of Excellence

As the Abrams nears its fourth decade of service, its admirers can take stock its long reign as possibly the world’s ultimate battle tank. The United States has built and rebuilt over 9,000 M1 Abrams series main battle tanks since 1979. From futuristic technological marvel when it was first introduced into service, to the latest M1A2 SEP battle tanks we know today, the Abrams has dominated NATO gunnery contests and the post-Cold War battlefield in a way that no other tank could. It has been modified and updated considerably and remains one of the most powerful weapons of its kind in service anywhere. The Abrams was born out of the failure of the MBT70 partnership with West Germany, designed from the outset as a weapon system that combined the best of American and foreign technology.