Why M1 Abrams Turbine Engine Is Actually OP

Could there be such a thing as a tank that is too powerful? Check out the insane turbine engine that powers one of the most elite tanks in the world, the M1 Abrams!

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[cannon]

i worked on the M1 in the late 80's. the AGT part of the engine designation, IIRC, stands for automotive gas turbine. it is not an adapted jet engine. it was designed, from the ground up to be a tank power plant, first for the MBT-70, then for the M1.
contrary to popular reporting, it can run on more than just jet fuel. one of the major selling points is that it can run on any grade diesel fuel, any grade jet fuel, any grade kerosene, and even on any grade gasoline. in korea, to keep from having to be towed to the motor pool, one was run on a 50/50 mix of diesel/gasoline for 5 miles with no ill effects.
the test equipment will not only troubleshoot the engine, it will troubleshoot the entire fire control and electronics system. it takes about 4 weeks of intense training to learn the system, and about a year to get really good at using it. it's just amazing what it can do.

[Xyerious]

I've spent 8 years as an M1 tank it crewmen. Crazy now that I think about it, we never had a tank engine that stopped working. Weeks in the field training you push the button it starts. Only other mechanical parts, transmissions, suspensions, and electrical components gave us headaches sometimes. It's a insane beast of an engine.

[zeroinfinity]

You guys also missed the most important part about the The Turbine Engine on the M1 Abram. It can also run on different type of fuel of all fuel types to diesel gas which is highly efficient when fuel is scarce. Although not efficient when running different gas, that was another huge advantage the army chose it rather than only relying just on diesel gas for diesel engine. I believe in the end the Turbine Engine was well worth the investment in Army decision for it MBT engine.

[potatomatop]

I hope the devs won't nerf this OP unit.

[octaviovaladaoferreirinhad]

Armour enthusiast here, It's always amazing to explain to curious people how the M1 is literally a jet tank.

[SgtHenick]

Army vet here and I had the privilege to work around the Abrams a few times though I was in wheeled vehicle maintenance. The sound of the engines starting up is one of the coolest sound you will ever hear and is actually the ringtone of my phone.

[johnmccall]

Another interesting feature of the turbine engine is that you don't actually hear the sound of the engine until the tank is nearly on top of you, it's crazy.

[sethmaki]

The whole tank is OP. It's more than four decades old and to this day the only real danger to an Abrams is another Abrams.

[wutangoc]

Seeing Abrams tanks driving around near Baghdad, the sound coming from them is like the sound of an airliner taxing to the runway. Also their cannon was always aimed at the same spot no matter what the rest of the tank was doing, so it looked like it was always moving around.

[Catskillwood]

I was an M60 tanker that transitioned to being an M1 tanker. Both packs pulled pretty quickly. M1 a bit better, but the M88 worked just fine on swapping both packs.

[iainburgess]

very surprised the ability to use multiple fuels wasn't covered

[AZPaul]

As part of Honeywell, I've been making the Digital Engine Controller Unit for this behemoth for over 30 years. It's kept me busy.

[paulnunya]

It's governed to 45mph, during R&D it would reach 75mph. The engine is a multi fuel engine too. It was designed to run on a bunch of different fuels. Almost all military vehicles are designed this way, even for fork lifts etc. They have to be operational in any situation possible. Also, the Leopard 2, V12 engine puts out 1500 HP as well.

[cloudpoint]

Russia has turbine-powered T-80 tanks too. Ukraine has captured some of them, and the Ukrainian tank operators say they love them. The diesel Leopard 2 and turbine M1A2 Abrams have the same fuel efficiency at higher speeds. A turbine doesn’t idle well so it is less fuel efficient at lower speeds.

[vincentragesmith]

They need these engines because Pentagon just found out Hector is going to be running 3 Honda Civics with spoon engines. And on top of that he just came into Harry's and he ordered 3 T66 turbos, with NOS, and a Motec system exhaust.

[fredbogs]

WW2 tanks had APUs but for some reason this was overlooked in the early M1s. Another advantage of the turbine is it's instant on and go compared to the diesel slow, noisy start and warm up time.

[matthewbrown]

I remember driving in convoy out to the field at Fort Riley, KS. We were supposed to keep equal spacing. But driving an M1A1 it was the most natural thing in the world to accelerate up a massively steep grade. It didn't work out well for the poor M88 drivers who had about 1/3 the horse power.

[blaineburgess]

I was a 91A M1A2 SEP version 2&3 mechanic from 2015-2019. First off, no one ever uses the APU in the Abrams, it has plenty of battery to keep the tank alive. In fact, 90%~ of the tanks I put hands on, had their APU removed entirely. Second off, it does not take four hours to replace a pack in the field. With two tankers on the back deck watching the hydraulics and quick disconnect pins along with handling the saddle bolts, I could replace a pack in under 40 reminutes easily. I will say though, the technical manuals that we use work pretty well for finding more complex issues inside the tanks core, though the diagnostics process often required a combination of implemented techniques. If you guys ever want better information regarding the tank, feel free to PM me. (disclaimer, i’m not unveiling anything that’s not already declassified, but for a first hand experience, I can provide the run down on how things actually are, versus how they’re reported.)

[JerryTheHeretic]

Ex 63E Abrams mechanic here. another great thing about the engine is its exhaust is very clean. In Korea during the cold winters out in the field we would often huddle behind ( but not to close) to the exhaust. Nice and warm!

[thetobi]

My dad worked in the RnD department at FMC San Jose from the late 70s to the early 90s. He had the honor of rebuilding the Abrams, Bradley, and more for Desert Storm. He would tell stories of all the vehicles he built and had little plastic models of some of them.