thi@mips2.ma30.bull.com (Saigon Smuggler) (04/10/91)
From: thi@mips2.ma30.bull.com (Saigon Smuggler) I have just read a news brief that the US Army plans to buy only 65 M1A2 tanks. Does anyone know: - what improvements does the A2 have over the A1? New armor? - what about all those 105mm M1s and M1A1s? Are they planning to upgrade them to A2 config? Also, beside the upgrade from 105mm to 120mm smoothbore, what other improvements does the A1 have over its predecessor, the M1? Thanks, -tt [Is that 65 this year, or *ever*?? --CDR]
mullermb@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Mark Muller) (04/10/91)
From: mullermb@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Mark Muller) In article <1991Apr10.024236.20695@amd.com> thi@mips2.ma30.bull.com (Saigon Smuggler) writes: >what improvements does the A2 have over the A1? New armor? The A2 has DU armor on the inside fresh from the factory, while A1's have had it added while in service. Mainly, the interface between the people in the turret and the fire control system and sensors has been redone, adding numerous multi-function displays and other such things. > what about all those 105mm M1s and M1A1s? Are they planning > to upgrade them to A2 config? I have seen the idea of upgrading A1's to A2 status tossed around, but I don't know how serious the thought was. The A1's used in Desert Storm had their armor upgraded by the addition of 10 tons (that's not a typo) of DU armor on the inside, and probably all remeaing A1's will receive this as well, if they haven't already. >Also, beside the upgrade from 105mm to 120mm smoothbore, what other >improvements does the A1 have over its predecessor, the M1? The chobham armor on the A1 is an improvement over the orginals chobham, and there is slightly more of it, but the army doesn't discuss details. > [Is that 65 this year, or *ever*?? --CDR] Very possibly 65 to test them out, see what they think, and then decide what to do. An idea I had seen a few months back was for us to fulfill a Saudi order for M1's by leaving many of ours over there and take delivery of brand new M1A2's to replace them. -- Mark Muller Undergraduate at Purdue University muller@gn.ecn.purdue.edu Aeronautics & Astronautics Engineering