tank: m1a1 abrams battle simulation youtube

1 about the Abrams is that there's no graceful way of getting in. The first thing that struck me about the Abrams was not how massive it is, but actually how compact it is for all the hardware it carries.

We spent a few familiarization hours crawling over and through one of the half-dozen tanks that had completed gunnery qualification. He took part in Stormin' Norman's Hail Mary play in the huge sweep deep into the Iraqi end zone, and spent 22 straight hours on the move looking for uniformed Iraqis to pan-fry. At the tank firing range, Staff Sergeant Harris, a Gulf War vet, tank commander, and master gunner, was assigned to be my instructor. The primary mission of the 11th these days is to act as the OPFOR (opposing force) for visiting armor units from all over the country-for that matter, all over the planet. It's also known as the Blackhorse Regiment, a name that dates to the days when they still rode horses and there were a lot fewer stars on our flag. The host unit for my two days at Fort Irwin, just north of Barstow, was the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR). When would you like to come?' The whole process was as complicated as ordering a Happy Meal. Barry Johnson, the public affairs officer, was, 'No problem. I expected a lot of bureaucracy, forms in triplicate, and a background check for known Assenza subversives.

Arranging a visit to Fort Irwin for a test drive and some big-gun plinking required hardly any haggling, begging, or even a permission slip from the Secretary of Defense. Whatever Modena is to the Ferrari and Abingdon is to worshippers of the sacred octagon, the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in California's Mojave Desert is that thing to tank people. Especially if there's a 120mm cannon attached to it.

And frankly, we can't resist the opportunity to test the ultimate anything. It can flatten a hundred Ford Expeditions without breaking stride and reduce enemy armor to a grimy blob in the dirt in less time than it takes you to say, 'Okay, I quit.' It's the ultimate off-road vehicle. In the food chain of terrain-gobbling tracked vehicles, the Abrams, which is built in Lima, Ohio, is the top predator, the numero uno tank. When one of these 65-ton beasts shows up in the carport of the presidential palace, the choice is give up or get squashed.

When shuttle diplomacy fails and the world's buttheads tax our patience beyond the point of mere talk, the Abrams is what we send to indicate that Kofi Annan is out of the loop and now we mean business. The M1A1 Abrams main battle tank is the final vehicular response in U.S.

Tank: m1a1 abrams battle simulation youtube