History and military technology: Interview with a former Abrams tanker

A former US Army Abrams tanker kindly accepted an interview for the blog. E. served 4 years in an M1A1 AIM, and was deployed in Iraq.

1. Hello E. Can you provide us a brief overview of your service in the US Army as a tank crewmember?

I was a Tank Crewmen from 2003-2007, I participated in one 13 month deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom

2. What was your first impression of the M1A1 tank? What do you think were the strong and weak points?

I thought it was a very sexy and powerful vehicle my first time going inside of one, I was still a pretty young and naïve kid at the time though. Haha

3. What was the typical speed and distance to the target when firing? And the longest distance at which you ever fired?

As fast as the drivers accelerator will take you, so long as your Laser Range Finder is locked on to the target its really just operator error that will keep you from missing,the tanks computer will do all of the hard work for you as far as making all of the calculations needed with all of the basic variables taken into account. Its probably been about 15 years since I’ve participated in a tank gunnery but I remember engaging targets at night that were over 2000 meters away and moving.

4. What was the maximum rate of fire you achieved? Did it change noticeably when ready ammunition was used?

I cant remember a specific rate of fire that was very notable but after a good loader being able to load a round in 3-6 seconds loads a round its all about how long it will take the Gunner and Tank Commander to find and engage their target which I would say will take several seconds as well.

5. What was the typical ammunition configuration load (% APFDS/HEAT/other) when training in Germany? And in Iraq?

In Germany we trained for every type of contingency so Id say about most of the types of ammunition that were available in theatre we used at one time or another. In Iraq we mostly just had Head Rounds and a lot of COAX 7.62 available, we were mostly dealing with COIN type operations so we didn’t really need to do much else besides take out a fortification of some type maybe.

6. The ammunition compartment is one of Abrams’ most notable features. Is the ammunition placed in a specific way?

I really cant remember, it has been about 15 years since I’ve been a part of a tank crew.

7. What is the maximum speed you reached? And reversing?

The Jet turbine engine does allow the Abrams to go fast especially when compared to its contemporary counterparts. I want to say maybe I can remember going over 30 mph easily?

8. How different is the typical range you get countryside and in a motorway?

The major drawback to the Abrams would definitely be its fuel consumption due to the Jet turbine engine. Honestly the tanks range is almost comparable to some World War 2 era tanks. Fortunately the U.S. Military has outstanding logistical capabilities so I cant ever think of a time where running out of fuel was an issue.

9. When performing exercises, what was the maximum distance you covered in a day? Were there any issues with the maintenance of the tank?

I want to say that I remember covering distances of around 100 kilometres a couple of times because that was a big deal.

10. How do you find driving in the night using IR equipment? What is the range of the sight?

Practice makes perfection.I cant remember an exact distance but it was very adequate.

11. Abrams operates with other vehicles such as Bradley or Stryker. Do they struggle to keep up?

No, but these vehicles were all designed with being able to keep up with each other in mind.

12. The Abrams turbine has the advantage of being multifuel. Have you used different fuels in an exercise? If so, is there any precaution that needs to be taken (check filters for example)?

It is, no I don’t think we ever did. If memory serves me well that was a feature you didn’t want to use if you didn’t have to.

13. Another advantage is that in cold weather it will start much faster than diesels. Was this useful in any circumstances?

Yes very much so,The Jet turbine exhaust is great for heating meals,water,and yourself. Infantry guys are always very eager to come up to the tank and get warm when they can.

14. What is the component that requires more maintenance/attention?

The Engine

15. Did you get any specific/additional training before deploying in Iraq?

Of course, there was lots of training based mostly on anything our chain of command thought that we might remotely need to know

16. How did the local conditions affect the Abrams performance (turbine, thermal sight range, tracks)?

I don’t really remember the climate affecting the tank in any major way,we had to do a lot more maintenance on the track because we were driving on paved roads a lot.

17. Was there any equipment you would have liked while deployed in Iraq (RPG screens, more fuel, thermal sight for commander)?

I’m not trying to be funny but definitely Air Conditioning, it used to get so hot inside the turret during the summer in Iraq that you had to wear gloves so that you don’t burn your hands.

18. How was the cooperation with local Iraqi units? What was your impression of their training and equipment?

They were still in their infancy so I mean they weren’t doing much more then very basic platoon level operations under our direct supervision. They had a lot of problems with lack of discipline and corruption, that being said though I do understand that today that could be a whole different case.

19. Did you have the opportunity to train with other NATO Armies? What were your impressions? Did you like/dislike any specific equipment?

The German Bundeswehr mostly and a little bit with the British.The Budeswehr had outstanding equipment on the one hand some of which has even been adopted by the U.S. Military but their problem was that they never seemed to ever do much meaningful training.The British military along with most Commonwealth military’s I’ve always felt has pretty well been on a level very comparable to the U.S.

20. Is there any anecdote you would like to share before we finish the interview?

In the summertime in the Al Anbar region of Iraq Temperatures of around 120 Degrees Fahrenheit were not uncommon. A cooler full of water bottles of solid ice would feel like bottles filled with warm piss by the end of the day. Lol.

The locals thought we were taking drugs that cooled our bodies because even they didn’t think that humans were capable of dealing with such temperatures while wearing all of your kit…:-P

History and military technology

Sunday 14 August 2022

Interview with a former Abrams tanker

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