No, there are explicit mentions of DU being in the hull on later models. Here is one document that says it would require taking the hulls apart to introduce the updated NBC and armor modules when updating from M1 to M1A2 standards.:
Page 27:
“This option would include a program to convert the oldest Abrams
tanks—the Mls–to the M1A2 configuration. Such a modification would entail
replacing the entire turret, including the gun; installing new electro-optics;
modifying the hull so that it can accept the active nuclear, biological, and
chemical (NBC) protective system; and replacing the armor packages and the
entire electrical system.”
Right. I didn’t mean to discount improved ceramics with my statement. Just wanted to clarify that DU was indeed added to the hull. The paragraph preceding the one I quoted on page 27 talks about the special armor of the A2 incorporating DU. The same special armor inserts they would need to disassemble older M1 hulls to incorporate while upgrading them to the A2 standard.
It’s ridiculous that we have 2006 SEP and 2007-2023 SEPv2 and yet both have the same hull armor as 1979 M1 and turret armor as 1992 M1A2. M1A1 AIM has hull issues too.
Hopefully, soon the Abrams tanks will actually have some useful protection and be more than slightly better Arietes, which is what they’ve practically become at this point.
Considering there are documents talking about improved hull protection and DU being incorporated into the hull as well, its safe to assume that sometimes these tests are relevant to actual upgrades.
It would potentially make wierd situations where the test vehicles with welded on metal are more protected than the end vehicles they simulated. If they were to add something like M1E1 to the game
I don’t think any Abrams has DU in the hull. (Outside of the 5 examples sitting at a school.)
Did lots of going over this with other people since M1A2 was introduced, it’s not that I can definitely say there IS NOT HA in the hull, it’s that we can’t prove that there IS HA in the hull. (We can prove there is DU in the turrets because it has radiation warnings and records that we have access to.)
It gets further complicated because not all HA is DU.
The point of the bug reports was to proof it has better hull armor. That can both be in the form of ceramics and DU. Imo we should have enough sources to at least make a good attempt to show Gaijin that there was at least some improvement in terms of hull armor. Only problem is that we have to see if Gaijin actually acts on it.
