Howdy, This is gonna be a small tutorial on the do’s and don’ts of the M1 Abrams (Ranging from the 10.7 to the 12.0 .
This will mainly focus on what the vehicle is, how it operates, and what you should do with it. If you want to know just how to play it, go towards the bottom.
(This is just a guideline on what you should be able to do with it)
First, A short history of what it is and where it came from.
Following the cancellation of the MBT-70 and XM-803, the US Army needed a new MBT to replace their m60’s. This lead to the The M1 Abrams, a third generation Main battle tank developed by Chrysler/General dynamics.
Being used sense the 1980’s, this machine has been in many wars over its life such as the cold war, War on terrorism, and most recently the Ukraine/Russian war.
Some of its most notable features are It’s main weapons such as the 105mm M68 cannon in its early years and later the M256 120 mm smoothbore cannon. Along with its Honeywell AGT1500 multi-fuel turbine engine, featuring the ability to use a variety of fuels such as jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel.
Armament and Equipment: (Part 1, 105mm M1/KVT)
Spoiler
Starting off with the earlier varients of m1’s. We have the M1 Abrams, the IPM1, and the M1 KVT
(The first M1 and KVT are virtually the same except for their ERA.)
First with the M1 Abrams, She features a 105mm cannon with a 2 plane stabilizer, 10-8 second reload, and a total of 55 rounds(22 in its First ammo rack) sitting behind its main gun. It has access to a good variety of shells as well. (Along with two 7.62 mm M240 machine guns and one 12.7 mm M2HB machine gun)
It also has a few support systems such as Smoke grenades, ESS, Duel Control, A laser Range finder, and gen 1 thermals/NVG.
(Tnt equivelent shall be shown as =)
It’s current Shell types are:
M456A2: A general purpose HEATFS shell able to penetrate up to 400mm of Armor. This will be your Stock shell. While good vs tanks with solid armor, This will have trouble killing tanks with ERA and Spaced armor. Aim for weak points and disabling shots when using this against them. (Also features 1.27kg of = tnt, Good for over pressuring open top targets.)
M393A2: A HESH shell… Yea. Features 4.31kg = tnt. Works against light targets (Sometimes)
(Imo Don’t use until Hesh gets fixed.)
m735: The first APFSDS Shell your gonna research. This Shell features 292mm of flat penetration. While this does have less pen than the HEATFS shell, It will work better against targets with more chemical resistance. Generally a good choice for precision and destroying specific parts on a tank. Again, weak points and disabling shots when your using this.
M416: A Smoke shell. While not providing a destructive aspect, it does allow for a more strategic option. These Shells will also block Thermal imaging. Use these when an corridor/Lane is at a stand still, allowing you to maneuver more freely while the enemy can’t see a thing. (Best practice used on Attica)
M774: Your 4th rank APFSDS. This baby packs a punch of 372mm. While this is your best and most used shell, there are some tanks that you still have to find weak spots for.
You will be able to slice through everything else once you have this though.
Armament and Equipment: (Part 2, 105mm IPM1)
Spoiler
Oh the IPM1, The younger sibling with more toys at her disposal to harass her elders. She features the same cannon and support equipment as her older counterparts but she comes with newer shells.
It’s current shell types are:
M456A2: A general purpose HEATFS shell able to penetrate up to 400mm of Armor. This will be your Stock shell. While good vs tanks with solid armor, This will have trouble killing tanks with ERA and Spaced armor. Aim for weak points and disabling shots when using this against them.
(Though, Due to the increased BR for this tank, you will face a lot more enemies that directly counter this shell. Stick to the back line and really focus on disabling your enemy, then weak points.)
M393A2: A HESH shell… Yea. Features 4.31kg = tnt. Works against light targets (Sometimes)
(Imo Don’t use until Hesh gets fixed.)
M833: Your first Rank 1 APFSDS featuring a total of 395mm of pen. This little beuty will be your savior when facing your enemies. This shell allows you to go directly for the weak spots against any target, allowing you to possibly 1 shot your enemies if you have good aim.
M416: A Smoke shell. While not providing a destructive aspect, it does allow for a more strategic option. These Shells will also block Thermal imaging. Use these when an corridor/Lane is at a stand still, allowing you to maneuver more freely while the enemy can’t see a thing. (Best practice used on Attica)
M900: Being a rank 4 modification, its one of the best APFSDS shells you can acquire.
With a total of 522mm of flat pen, you’ll be able to slice through almost all of your opponents that aren’t the most heavily armored. Definitely a must have when using this tank.
Armament and Equipment: (Part 3, 120mm Everything Else)
(Alot of the same tanks, Alot of minor features. Will work on adding them later)
Spoiler
So, every 120mm Abrams has basically the same ammunition except for a few special cases.
If every abrams carries the same shell, it’ll be marked with “A”. I will specify when they differ.
Starting off with the shells:
M830: (A) Generic Heatfs Shell, Good for targets without era and spaced armor. Has a total penetration of 480mm and an explosive amount of 2.36kg. The higher your br, the worse it will perform. Aim for disabling shots, then for weak points.
M829: (A) First APFSDS you can acquire. A total penetration of 491, she will allow you to aim for your enemies weakspots first, allowing you to possibly get 1 shots off. Good for a starting round and against most enemies.
M830A1: (A) This is a HEAT MP, or in other words a multi purpose heatfs shell. This lil thing will allow you to engage Air born targets. It Featuring 380mm of penetration with 1.39kg of explosive = and a trigger radius of 10 meters. (When using this shell, your likely to have your shell’s explode next to the aircraft while they don’t take damage. Only use this if your good at consistent precision shooting against unaware aircraft.)
M908: This thing. It’s definitly a thing. This shell is an obstacle removal shell.
Allowing it to penetrate up to 84mm of armor with the explosive mass of 1.39kg. It works about the same way as APHE shells. While this might work on lighter targets, it’s best to get this shell last.
(Though, if we get infantry that hide in buildings, this will be a must have for “Knocking them out”)
M829A1: (120S, M1A1) This little fella is your rank 4 apfsds.
Giving you a total of 598mm of pen, she can allow you to slice through almost every tank you can see. Best to get this shell asap. (Surprised only 2 m1’s carry this, weird)
M829A2: (HC, M1A2, Sep, Sep2, Clickbait) This is currently thee best shell in the USA tech tree. Featuring a whopping 629mm of penetration, Only the most heavily armored opponents will make you aim for weak points.
KE-W: (AIM) Being one of the few shells to be on only 1 Abrams, This shell has a total of 579mm of penetration. This puts it as the third best shell in the USA tech tree. Aussies gonna Aussie i guess
Pro’s and Cons:
Spoiler
Pros:
Good mobility
Good gun handling
Moderate-Good Shells
Good front turret armor
Good reverse speed
Decent support equipment
Good Depression (Except over engine)
Moderate-Good ROF (Crew level based)
Cons:
Lack of armor vs kinetic rounds
Large lower Frontal plate
Shot Trap Neck
Thin neck (50.8mm of armor, almost every spaa can penetrate it)
No effective kinetic ERA
Lack of gen 2 and above thermals
(List used to gather thermal info Ground Thermals – Thunder View)
General Use/Best position:
Using your M1’s . This tank all in all is designed as a clean up tank, used after the air force has hit a position. This means the Abrams is not a frontline Tank, but a more reserved, Heavy support tank.
While it has the ammunition and means to destroy many MBT’s from the front and at range, It generally suffer’s from being in close quarters and being on flat ground.
For the Best use, Try and play defensive and fill in the gaps to the front line as it forms. Your not gonna win a knife fight against enemies that are more suited to it. And if possible, try to go hull down only showing your turret face. (Keep in mind, There are a few weak spots on your turret, so try to only expose yourself if your enemy gets distracted or loses interest.) (And keep this in mind!!! Your tank isn’t made for brawling, don’t rush in unless you know where your enemy is)
Here’s a recording of a match that showcases how to play the tank. (Gaijin Entertainment - Single Sign On)
(While this isn’t a perfect tutorial, it should help with you getting the hang of this. If theres anything wrong or that should to be added. LMK) (Also, let me know which vehicle i should do next. I don’t have every tree done but were getting there.)
Spoiler
Took me 2 hours to write this, AHHHH!!!