Why M1 Abrams Tanks Have Gas Turbine Engines #shorts

Gas turbine on a tank? It's not the first time, but why M1 Abrams main battle tanks have gas turbine engines, is #NotWhatYouThink #NWYT #shorts

Music:
Hordes - Jo Wandrini

Footage:
US Department of Defense

Note: "The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."

[minhqun]

The more quiet part is Not what you think

IIRC Abrams engine produce sound on higher decibels compare to turbo diesel engine on Leopard 2, but its sound is higher in frequency, meaning it dissipate quicker at longer distances. That means if you're standing from afar you are less likely to pick up Abrams's engine sound.

[danielevans]

They can run on high proof liquor. Just like their Operators.

[zeriel]

"It's not what you think"
Turns out, it's always what we think

[mampfi]

special tank abilities:

American tank: BBQ
German tank: highspeed beer transport
Russian tank: special air operation

[jardiff]

Operation desert storm, we were on some night training maneuvers before the ground war. CO parked his humvee in the distance and had his driver shut the engine off as he stood outside. He then ordered our platoon to advance on his position. Pitch black of night in the dead silent Saudi Arabian desert four M1A1 abrams tanks lined up and proceeded toward him at full throttle. Using our laser range finders we would call out our range to him. He started to hear sounds at 750 meters but he couldn't tell what it was. At 500 meters he could tell it was something rather large but still couldn't define the sound as coming from tanks. The main gun has a range of 4000 meters.

[clintonkerry]

I boiled coffee on the back of mine in a old purculator.. best and most expensive coffee I ever had

[leavingthewest]

When getting beef with an Abram gets a whole nother meaning…

[storminmormin]

“Like diesel and jet fuel” and vodka, and perfume, and wood vapor, and hydrogen…

[mdfield]

Prior to Desert Storm, the Army wanted a better seal for fuel delivery to the A1 Abrams tank than it previously had. I was working for a large rubber/plastics manufacturer in Southern California as a tooling EDM operator and I made the tooling to manufacture more dynamic sealing capabilities. The company had also made the original inflatable canopy seals for the then secret Stealth fighters and bombers. As Desert Storm approached, the Air Force wanted to replace all of the canopy seals. The original extrusion tooling was made around 1980 and Air Force Brass came to watch and measure the new seals. However the tooling didn’t produce a product within specs. So they gave me the schematic, the original tooling, and what it had produced. I had to make hundreds of measurements of the tooling and what it produced, made many calculations, wrote a program for the EDM machine to follow, and cut new tooling. This took me about 2 1/2 hours. When they ran the new tooling, the finished product was within .0015” on every dimension specification when they needed .005”. My partner and I also made new extrusion tooling for the redesigned O-Ring for the Shuttle solid booster rocket. The company extruded the uncured O-Ring seals and shipped them to Morton Thiokol in Utah where they installed and cured them directly on the booster rockets. On a lighter note, the company also made Wham-O Hula Hoops and Mattel Hot Wheels track and I made tooling for those as well. It was a very rewarding and satisfying career.

[anotherrandomtexan]

Something that really helped to cut down fuel costs was the addition of an APU (auxiliary power unit) which is just a small engine to run the hydraulics and other systems while the main turbine is off

[Uckertay]

The exhaust from a tank is no joke. Standing in front of one at least 20 feet will feel like a sunburn. Came in handy when we had a unit mobilized to Latvia with us.

[Nediac]

“Whispering Death”

You often hear the tracks clicking before the whine of the engine

[Envious__]

Yes you can cook food on the back deck and the exhaust, although I’d recommend not putting any food on the exhaust unless you like JP-8 exhaust fumes in your food. Just plop it on the back deck and watch it sizzle

[voodooactual]

The Abrams is great during the winter. When you're just walking around trying to get warm, just stand behind an Abrams, you'll be nice and warm.

[SvdSinner]

The old M60 tanks that preceded the Abrams got 4 gallons to the mile. That made the 2 gallons to the mile of the Abrams seem ultra-efficient.

[dannyzero]

Given that the US’s overall doctrine that requires extensive logistics planning and support, having an engine that can run on multiple types of fuel is an offer they simply cannot refuse. Because after all, logistic wins war.

[blyatpotato]

Plot twist: tax money was actually on research on how to make a BBQ grill tank instead of an actual tank

[randomdeadpool]

Making steaks on an engine's exhaust is one of the most american things I've seen so far

[petesheppard]

The fuel problem with the turbine is that it burns as much fuel when the tank is not moving as when it's running flat out, whereas a diesel's consumption is very low at idle. M1s have had an APU installed so that the turbine doesn't have to be run when halted to generate the power required by tank systems.

[gregoryashton]

“Quiet in bed” - I’ll be sure to sleep with an M1 Abrams tank next time then, since it’s so quiet and all 😂