Why The M1 Abrams Uses A Turbine Engine

The AGT-1500 gas turbine engine of the M1 Abrams is fairly controversial. There are a number of common misconceptions that make the engine seem much worse than it actually is. In this video, I'll talk about those misconceptions, and how the AGT-1500 stands out among other tank engines because of its enhanced performance, design, and survivability. While gas turbines make sense for the main battle tank of the United States, diesels would likely be better suited for other nations.

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Songs used (in order from first to last):
Warhammer 40k Mechanicus - Dance of the Cryptek
Warhammer 40k Mechanicus - Children of the Omnissiah
Halo 3: ODST - Rain (Deference for Darkness)

Reddit: /u/spookston

#m1abrams #turbine #tankhistory

[burazburi]

Actually Abrams moves because of the sheer freedom, turbine is there just as a cooling fan for the crew

[sumtingwong]

pretty sad how loud this tonk is in warthunder, the sound of turbines scares the shit outta me when I'm playing high tier

[imaantagonist]

I was an M1 crewman for 8 years and never had an issue with the engine. The transmission, however, was another story.

[Metalpanzerwolf]

I have served on both the Abrams and M-60 series tanks. I have been on both sides of operations with a couple of years as an OPFOR member traning NATO forces in Hoenfels Germany. I can vouch for pretty much everything this video says through actual experience. The Abrams are quiet AF compared to other armor during manuevers. I can hear a Bradley IFVs final drives whining at four times the distance of an Abrams. The biggest giveaway that an Abrams was in the hood was the track chatter, and by the time you heard that you were boned. Hell even M 113s are noisier. At any distance over 25meters the Abrams is the most quiet tank I have ever encountered, and I have encountered more operational variants of armor IRL than any one outside the Armor Corp I know. Having worked on and maintained both turbine and piston engines I can tell you turbines are way easier to maintain and are more reliable. Don't get me started on power to weight ratios. The Abrams is fast, and accelerates faster than most comparable armor out there. It will even spank most APCs in a race. As for thermal signatures here is my take. Having shot plenty of Abrams using MILES gear while looking through my TTS (better themals than the Abrams TIS at the time) they did not show up any hotter than any other vehicle I trained with. That includes most NATO armor I worked with in Europe just before desert Storm. It makes me laugh whenever I hear the bullshit stories that I do from some of today's current WOTC tank experts who could not even figure out how to open a real tank hatch let alone possess any real world understanding of tank design or usage. The tank fanboys and haters are irritating as all hell too. Rarely is the crew training or experience taken into account. It's all about "muh countries tank has more RHA value then your tank has in given area, or something stupidly myopic like that. Your crew is at least half of the equation. But hey, it's always amature hour in the you tube comments section. Great video btw!

[drkjk]

I can tell you from 10 years experience that the level of noise inside the M1 with the engine running isn't from the engine, but from the hydraulic pump. On the other hand, it doesn't matter to the crew as they're wearing earphones.
Another anecdote from back in the day. Many were the time when I was standing in front of the tank I would ask the driver if the engine was running. Yes, it can be that quiet.

[flippedstug]

The thing I always find hilarious is when someone says the M1 Abrams doesn't have a quiet engine since they stood next to one and it was loud. Yep, tank engines are louder than most other things that produce noise, therefore it cannot be quieter than other tanks. Makes sense.

[Laotzu.Goldbug]

To the first point - loudness. In my personal experience (3/5 Marines, Sangin 2010-2011) the M1 is the only armored vehicle I've ever come across that can literally sneak up on you. The thing about the engine sound is that it is highly *directional.*

If you are standing directly outside of the exhaust vents, then yes it will be pretty loud. Not necessarily a whole lot louder than a diesel unless you are right up to the grates, but loud enough to hear it. But if you are anywhere else - sides, oblique angle and especially the front - the Abrams is quiet. If you are out in an open field somewhere, or an area that just doesn't have a whole lot of echo reverb, that thing can creep up on you and you won't hear it until it's 50-75 feet away. You will pick up on the unique noise of the tracks clanking, long before you register the sound of a tank engine. (Hence the nickname "Whispering Death")



EDIT: To add, as to fuel efficiency, that is highly dependent. As you have mentioned when running at low power a turbine engine is wasting a lot of energy. But once you split up, it is significantly more efficient than a reciprocating piston engine fit in addition, it is significantly lighter van an equivalent output diesel, which is a not-insignificant matter when it comes to tank design.

(P.S. if you have ever have the chance to see tech doing a maintenance on the M1's power plant, you will be shocked by one thing - the engine is actually quite small. The ATG 1500 itself probably only makes up like 20 or 25% of the entire power pack, at most. The rest is all transmission.

[justabitround]

The internet "tank experts": NO YOU CAN'T PUT A JET TURBINE ENGINE IN A THAT TANK IT'S AWFUL
The us military: *hahahaha tank make jet noise*

[jordananderson]

If you ask an actual tanker, most of them have said that they've had an Abrams sneak up on them to within a few meters without them noticing. That's all I need to know about the turbine's volume.

[ruutocka]

As an ex tanker who served 10 years as a 19K, i started in basic learning both the M60a3 and the M1 (not the m1-a1, the M1 with 105 main gun) As for sound if your standing right behind the tank it is quite loud, but like you said the sound dies off after just a short range. From the sides its not that loud at all, we used to stand next to it while it was running and hold a normal conversation did not have to yell at each other. From the front you can barely tell the tank is even running. Since you tend to keep your front to the enemy this very advantageous. Durring the first Iraq war in 1990 the Iraq soldiers called the M1-A1 silent death as you would never hear them coming. The noise you hear inside the tank is some from the engine but most of the noise is the hydraulic pumps used for controlling the turret and gun. i could go on for hours about the M1A1. I do miss it very much.

[NTAD]

Once again I appreciate you touching on the acoustics misconception.

[easy_eight]

*Turbine engines are usually less or equally as noisy as Diesel engines*
Gaijin:

[k.chriscaldwell]

I trained on M60s in AIT, then trained on and operated M1s for nearly four years. Anyone that thinks the M1 is loud does not know what they are talking about. The M60 was a roaring beast, while the M1 was more like a purring kitten. Also, the M60's exhaust was quite smokey and, depending on the ambient temperature, was prone to create a tell-tale plume above its operations areas.

[wockawocka]

Should be noted that the Abram's engine is modular as well. It is a "power pack" and able to be switched out, even in the field, by a trained crew in under 1 hour.

[skinisdelicious]

I was a tank mechanic for the USMC. Outstanding piece of machinery. Stupid simple to work on and troubleshoot as well. A common tool for fixing an issue in that behemoth i shit you not was often a paperclip. The guy in the platoon who came to work with spare clips was a man you bought drinks for on the weekends.

[BasherTWOFOUR]

Abrams are freakishly quiet, when a few showed up on my FOB (iraq 2009) they just made a whine

[adammandic]

"Turbine engines are superior to-"
Red effect: *stardust crusaders main theme*

[ronlawrence]

As a guy who transitioned from M60 series tanks to the original M1, I'm just going to tell you the difference in speed between the two made the M1 the hotrod of the battlefield. We used to creep around in those old M60A3's. We could pop up almost anywhere in the blink of an eye in an M1. That's the biggest plus for going to the turbine. But I have to say, the ride provided by the suspension on the M1 was a remarkable improvement as well. Going cross country in an M1 is like riding in a cadillac....as opposed to the M60, where you felt every bump with bone jarring impact.

[longshot]

When the M1 first debuted at the Reforger exercises in 1984(?) a platoon of M1s completely overran a British tank platoon without a loss catching them totally by surprise. The referees thinking that it was some fluke stopped the M1s placing them back at their starting positions and told them to try again. They did even though the British now knew that they were coming. The British were in awe saying that the M1s were FAST and quiet.

[viper_]

“It became apparent that survivability and performance were some of the most important aspects of a tank.”
*Hmm, yes, the floor here is made out of floor.*