M1 Abrams Tanks - USA: Books - History, Types and Construction (1/2)

M1 Abrams : The US's Main Battle Tank in American and Foreign Service, 1981-2018 (Tank Craft)

Since its introduction in 1981, at the height of the Cold War, the Abrams main battle tank has been one of the most visible and iconic symbols of American military power, and it is the fascinating subject of this heavily illustrated historical and modelling guide in the TankCraft series by David Grummitt.

Designed to meet head-on the massed tank forces of the Warsaw Pact, its combat debut in fact came in a different scenario in 1991 during the First Gulf War. Since then it has served in the peace-keeping role in the former Yugoslavia and seen combat in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen.
It has gone through a series of modifications and modernizations that see it set to remain the backbone of the US Army until at least 2050.

As well as charting the development and combat history of the vehicle, the book is illustrated throughout with colour photos and specially commissioned colour profiles. Five different models, covering the service history of the Abrams, are featured, as is modeller's guide to the existing kits and accessories in the all the popular scales.

Abrams A History of the American Main Battle Tank (Volume 2)

In the 50s, as the M48 Patton was gearing up for production, there was a great deal of interest in developing new design concepts for future armored fighting vehicles; many of these ideas made up the early foundations of the tank that would become the M1 Abrams 30 years later.
This was a very fertile and productive period for combat vehicle development and Hunnicutt covers nearly every detail of it with his trademark precision and diligence. Many of the wildly radical design concepts considered in the 50s and 60s proved to be impractical, but a number went on to be applied with great success to the Patton and its product-improved M60 series. In fact, the M60 was used as an interim tank pending the development of a standardized main battle tank.

The project was eventually reoriented as an effort to design an effective tank at a specified, reasonable cost. After competing for the contract against GM, Chrysler set out to design the tank that was designated as the XM1. This is the design that became standardized as the M1 Abrams, and was introduced to troop service in 1981. It has since been improved with more powerful armaments and tougher armor as the 120mm gun tank M1A1.

This installment in R. P. Hunnicutt's ambitious 10-volume series on the history of American tanks covers the development of the American main battle tank from its conception in the 1950s through the production and standardization of the M1 Abrams main battle tank. Boasting dozens of photographs, line drawings, and figures, in addition to Hunnicutt's painstakingly thorough research, "Abrams: A History of the American Main Battle Tank" is a must-have for anyone with a profound interest in American military history.

M1 Abrams : America's Main Battle Tank (Legends of Warfare)

Since the 1980s, the American M1 Abrams series of tanks has been widely regarded as among the finest main battle tanks in the world. This volume is a concise look at the background, development, and Army and Marine operational history of the Abrams from the 1970s to the present.

The author, who brings a unique perspective and authority as a former M1A1 tank gunner with the United States Army's 1/104th Cavalry, was granted behind-the-scenes access to photograph the US Army's collection of rare tanks at Fort Benning, Georgia.
He also shows the Abrams tank's service in lesser known places-not just Iraq and Afghanistan-such as Cold War Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia, and others. Part of the Legends of Warfare series.

M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank - 1993-2018 (Osprey)

Since the Gulf War, the Abrams tank has undergone a transformation, while fighting in conflicts across the world. Its M1A1 and M1A2 variants have seen great improvements made to this iconic tank, including in fire-control, armour protection, and thermal imaging technology.
Involvement in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan necessitated a number of upgrades and modifications as the United States fought two of its longest wars.

Recent years have seen new variants of the series such as the ABV Assault Breacher Vehicle and M104 Wolverine Heavy Assault Bridge. Over the past few decades, the M1A1 Abrams has also been extensively exported and is license produced in Egypt.

The long-awaited follow-up to NVG 2 M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank 1982-92 (1993), this fully illustrated study examines the Abrams tanks' last quarter-century of service with both the United States and its various foreign operators with a focus on its combat history.