The M1 Abrams is a family of Main Battle Tanks featured in ArmA: Cold War Assault, ArmA: Armed Assault and ArmA 2.
ArmA: Cold War Assault[]
The M1A1 is a Heavy Tank used exclusively by U.S. military forces in ArmA: Cold War Assault.
Overview[]
- Role:
- Direct fire and manoeuvre
| « | Designed and built for the dangers of modern ground warfare, the M1A1 includes many features, which enhance its deadly offensive and enhanced defensive capabilities: Battlefield Override, NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical), Overpressure system, Position Location Reporting Systems and Deep Water Fording Kit. 120mm main gun is capable of engagement ranges up to 4km, uses many kinds of ammunition and has a hit/kill ratio that equals or surpasses any other modern main battle tank. Vehicle Description
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Design[]
Highly mobile and adapted for use in mounted warfare, the M1A1 is a heavily armed and well-protected heavy tank that was used by the U.S. military at the height of the Cold War.
Armament
It is armed with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon and has a coaxial .50 cal heavy machine gun.
The standard loadout of the M1A1 gives it 35 rounds of high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and 35 rounds of armour-piercing (AP) shells for the main gun. The coaxial M2 HMG on the other hand, is loaded with a single 500-round belt box. It has no spare belt boxes to reload with.
Features
One of the two heavy tanks in Cold War Assault, it is superior in all aspects to the smaller M60A3 and is directly comparable to the Soviet T-80 in terms of raw firepower. However, it is slightly better than the T-80 when it comes to mobility since the M1A1 has a slightly higher top speed and can turn more rapidly on the spot. Protection-wise, the M1A1 is even tougher to take down and can survive a direct hit from AT-4.
Aside from its inability to attack helicopters directly (unless they fly within line-of-sight of the main gun), the M1A1 has almost no drawbacks and is by far one of the most powerful ground vehicles in Cold War Assault.
Crew Capacity
The M1A1 has a seating capacity of three for a driver, the gunner and commander. It is unable to transport any passengers.
Protection[]
The M1A1 has 900 points worth of armour plating.
Armament[]
NOTE: For specifics on the Cannon 120 mm's munitions, see its related section listed here.
All weapon systems are controlled by the gunner position. Their optics can switch between two fields of view:
Cannon 120 mm[]
120 mm smoothbore cannon. Can load either HE or AP-type munitions.
It can achieve a fire rate of 7.5 rounds per minute and 8 seconds to fully rearm from a logistics truck. There is no delay for swapping between munition types. Accuracy-wise, has a fixed dispersion of 0.002 rad regardless of range
M2 .50[]
| Base damage value | Initial velocity (m/s) |
|---|---|
| 13 | 1,000 |
Coaxial .50 cal heavy machine gun.
It can attain a fire rate of up to 600 RPM and has a muzzle velocity of 1,000 m/s. Accuracy-wise, it always has a fixed dispersion of 0.0007 rad regardless of distance.
Trivia[]
- Though it first entered into production in 1985, the M1A1's appearance in Cold War Assault is slightly anachronistic as the real-world U.S. Army - who predominately represent the in-game U.S. military forces, did not actually begin fielding the M1A1 to frontline units until the late 1980s.
- The initial "M1IP" tank would have been a more realistic choice as it was already deployed in large numbers throughout the U.S. military by the mid 1980s.
- Given its similarity to the M60A3 in terms of armament and protection however (it uses a 105 mm cannon and was less well-armoured), it was likely overlooked in favour of the M1A1 to "balance" it against the Soviet T-80.
- Before Patch 1.10 was released, a bug would cause the M1A1's commander to lose the ability to order the gunner to switch weapons.[1]
- A physics-related bug could also cause the M1A1 to "bounce" when it was shot at small arms fire. This was fixed after the release of Patch 1.46.[2]
- The information below details unused, pre-release or removed content.
- There is a unique variant of the M1A1 (Classname: M1AbramsAuto) that is crewless and can be entirely operated by the driver alone. However, it cannot be placed or spawned in the mission editor without using script commands to spawn it.[3]
Gallery[]
ArmA: Armed Assault[]
The M1A1 is a Main Battle Tank used exclusively by U.S. Army forces in ArmA: Armed Assault.
Overview[]
- Role:
- Direct fire and manoeuvre
| « | The M1A1, famous for its role in the Gulf Wars, is the United States’ primary Main Battle Tank. The M1A1 features an M256 smoothbore cannon capable of firing an armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) round with a depleted uranium penetrator. Various other types of ammunition, such as High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT), are also available, and can be employed to engage lighter armored vehicles or infantry. The M1A1 is a fast, well armored and deadly piece of equipment. Library Description
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Design[]
The M1A1 is an updated variant of the baseline M1 tank in the Abrams family of MBTs. Like its Cold War Assault predecessor, the M1A1 in Armed Assault remains just as heavily armoured but now utilises a more balanced loadout.
Armament
In addition to its main gun, the M1A1 has a coaxial 7.62 mm medium machine gun that can be used against enemy infantry, and now has access to a .50 cal heavy machine gun fitted to a pintle on the top of the turret which can be controlled remotely by the M1A1's commander (both while buttoned-up and turned out).
The standard loadout of the M1A1 gives it 20 rounds of armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) and 20 rounds of high-explosive (HE) shells for the main gun.
The coaxial M240 is loaded with a single 1,200-round belt and has no spares to reload from. The commander's M2 HMG on the other hand, is pre-loaded with a 100-round belt box but retains one box to reload with (for a combined total of 200 rounds).
Features
Like in Cold War Assault, the Armed Assault M1A1 remains superior to its SLA counterpart.
Not only does it have better mobility and a higher top speed, but the M1A1 has almost 25% increased armour plating and can withstand a greater amount of punishment. In addition, as the SLA lacks access to shoulder-launched anti-tank missiles (they only utilise unguided RPG-7Vs), the M1A1 can shrug off both of its grenade rounds with relative ease.
The M1A1 also possesses arguably better and easier optics for the gunner, which can assist greatly with aiming at distant targets compared to the SLA's outdated T-72. Even when traversing at high speeds, the M1A1 can reliably take out moving targets at distances of up to 2,500 metres away.
Crew Capacity
The M1A1 has a seating capacity of three personnel for a crew consisting of the driver, a gunner, and the commander.
Protection[]
The M1A1 has a base armour value of 900.
Hull[]
The M1A1's hull can withstand up to 765 points of damage.
Engine[]
Its engine can only survive 315 points of damage before failing.
Treads[]
Both tracks on can incur only 135 points of damage before breaking.
Turret[]
The M1A1's turret is able to take up to 900 points of damage.
Gun barrel[]
The turret's main gun can withstand just 270 points of damage before failing.
Armament[]
NOTE: For specifics on the M256's munitions, see its related section listed here.
Both the M256 cannon and coaxial M240 medium machine gun are controlled by the gunner position, while the commander handles the M2 heavy machine gun instead (which can be rotated and fired while buttoned up).
For optics, the gunner's sight can has access to three fields of view, while the commander uses a fixed view with only one magnification level:
M256[]
120 mm smoothbore cannon. Can load either HE or AP-type munitions.
It can attain a fire rate of 10 rounds per minute (6 second delay between shots) but takes up to 8 seconds to swap shell types or to fully rearm from a supply truck. It has an effective firing range of 2,500 metres.
M240[]
| Base damage value | Initial velocity (m/s) |
|---|---|
| 12 | 900 |
Coaxial 7.62 mm medium machine gun.
It can attain a fire rate of 800 RPM and has a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s. Accuracy-wise, it has a dispersion of 0.003 rad regardless of distance. It takes 7 seconds to reload a fresh belt (assuming the M1A1 has run out of ammunition and is rearming at a logistical vehicle).
M2[]
| Base damage value | Initial velocity (m/s) |
|---|---|
| 26 | 930 |
Turret-mounted .50 cal heavy machine gun.
The M2 has a fire rate of ~ 545 RPM, a muzzle velocity of 930 m/s, and has a dispersion of 0.002 rad at ranges of up to 1,200 metres. It takes 10 seconds to reload another belt box.
Trivia[]
- Prior to Patch 1.04, the M1A1's main gun could strike targets as far away as 6,000 metres with absolutely no dispersion while driving at its maximum speed. Its effective firing range was subsequently reduced to just under 2,500 metres for gameplay reasons, making it more in line with the T-72's D-81 125 mm cannon.[4]
- Due to its high sound attenuation values, the M1A1's crew could clearly hear sounds from outside the tank in first person. This was reduced after Patch 1.05's release so that they are heavily muffled in first person.[5]
- Before Patch 1.08, the crews of AI-controlled M1A1s would not turn out even if they were given a waypoint that set them to SAFE mode.[6]
- The information below details unused, pre-release or removed content.
- An unused text string within the game files (String name: STR_DN_M1A1_AUTO) implies that the crewless variant of the M1A1 from Cold War Assault was intended to make a comeback in Armed Assault.[7] The vehicle itself is not present in the final game however, which would suggest that the idea was scrapped early in development.
Gallery[]
ArmA 2[]
The M1A1 is used by both the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army forces in ArmA 2.
Overview[]
- Role:
- Direct fire and manoeuvre
| « | The M1A1, famous for its role in the Gulf Wars, is the United States’ primary Main Battle Tank. The M1A1 features an M256 smoothbore cannon capable of firing an armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) round with a depleted uranium penetrator. Various other types of ammunition, such as High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT), are also available and can be employed to engage lighter armored vehicles or infantry. The M1A1 is a fast, well armored and deadly piece of equipment. Armoury Description
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Design[]
The M1A1 returns once more in ArmA 2, but has been largely supplemented in its role as the U.S. military's MBT by the newer and tougher M1A2 TUSK.
Armament
The M1A1's armament remains unchanged in ArmA 2. It retains the 120 mm smoothbore cannon for vehicle targets, a coaxial 7.62 mm MMG for infantry, and also has a .50 cal HMG for use by the tank's commander (it can be manually or remotely operated from within).
As with its predecessor in Armed Assault, the loadout for ArmA 2's M1A1 remains the same for its main gun, using a 20/20 split for both APFSDS and HE shells. The coaxial M240 is also designed to feed from a single 1,200-round belt and has no reloads.
The sole difference is that the commander's M2HB now retains four spare belt boxes to reload from for a combined total of 500 rounds (as opposed to only 200).
Features
Alongside the M1A2 TUSK, the M1A1 is still one of the most powerful ground vehicles in ArmA 2, with only the Russian T-90 MBT coming close to being able to challenge both variants of the Abrams. It is faster than the T-90 (83 km/h versus the T-90's 75 km/h) and also has slightly better handling as well.
Its tough armour makes it very durable and effectively impervious to small arms and autocannon fire. Aside from large Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), armour-piercing shells from the T-72/T-90, and satchels, enemies will need to utilise dedicated heavy anti-tank weapons in order to inflict any real damage to the M1A1.
Drawbacks
Unlike the Russian T-90, the M1A1 lacks the ability to fire gun-launched ATGMs, leaving it vulnerable to long-range ambushes if the crew are not aware of their surroundings. A well-placed anti-armour rocket that strikes its engine can also result in a mission kill and knock out the M1A1 instantly since it is fully exposed and isn't protected by the tank's armour plating.
Crew Capacity
It retains a seating capacity of three to support a crew consisting of the driver, gunner and a commander. The M1A1 is unable to transport any passengers.
Camouflage[]
- Desert: Flat desert sand/desert tan paint scheme. Used on U.S. Army M1A1s.
- Woodland: Three-colour woodland paint scheme. Used by USMC M1A1s.
Protection[]
The M1A1 has a base armour value of 850.
Successful strikes to any of the following highlighted sections will inflict full damage to the component:
Hull[]
The M1A1's hull can withstand up to 722.5 points of damage.
Engine[]
The M1A1's engine is able to take up to 297.5 points of damage. At least 20% of damage is always transferred onto the M1A1's main "health" pool.
A damaged engine will severely diminish power output and prevent the M1A1 from attaining its top speed. Disabling it will instantly immobilise the tank and result in a mobility kill.
Treads[]
The M1A1's treads are able to withstand only 127.5 points of damage before breaking.
Disabling either will impede (but not prevent) the M1A1's mobility. Destroying both will render the tank immobilised on rough terrain and make it almost impossible to turn; even if the engine remains functional.
Turret[]
The main turret can take up to 850 points of damage.
Disabling it will prevent the gunner from rotating it but does not stop them from firing its weapons.
Gun barrel[]
The turret's cannon can take just 255 points of damage before it fails. No amount of damage is transferred back onto the tank's main "health" pool.
Disabling the gun barrel will automatically lock it and prevent the gunner from adjusting its depression/elevation.
Armament[]
NOTE: For specifics on the M256's munitions, see its related section listed here.
Both the M256 cannon and coaxial M240 medium machine gun are controlled by the gunner position, while the commander handles the M2HB heavy machine gun instead (which can be rotated and fired while buttoned up).
For optics, the gunner's sight can has access to two fields of view and can toggle a day, night or black-/green-hot thermal vision mode. The commander on the other hand, only has one field of view with a fixed magnification zoom but can also toggle day, night or orange-/black-hot thermal vision modes:
M256[]
120 mm smoothbore cannon. Can load either HE or AP-type munitions.
It can attain a fire rate of 10 RPM (6 second delay between shots) but only requires 2 seconds to swap between shell types or to fully rearm from a logistics truck. It features an integrated laser rangefinder.
Manual zeroing is available, starting from a minimum of 100 m up to a maximum of 3000 m. Adjustments are made with increments/decrements of 100 m.
M240[]
| Base damage value | Aerodynamic friction | Initial velocity (m/s) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | -0.0009324 | 834 |
Coaxial 7.62 mm medium machine gun.
It can attain a fire rate of 800 RPM and has a muzzle velocity of 834 m/s. Accuracy-wise, it has a dispersion of 0.0012 rad. It takes 5 seconds for the gunner to reload a fresh belt once depleted.
It can be manually zeroed but has the same range limits as the M256 cannon.
M2HB[]
| Base damage value | Aerodynamic friction | Initial velocity (m/s) |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | -0.00068 | 930 |
Commander's .50 cal heavy machine gun. It can be fired from the safety of the tank's interior (the commander does not have to be unbuttoned).
It can attain a fire rate of ~ 545 RPM and has a muzzle velocity of 930 m/s. It takes 6 seconds to reload a fresh belt box. Accuracy-wise, the gun has a dispersion of 0.001 rad.
Unlike the gunner's M256/M240, the commander's M2HB can only be zeroed starting from 100 m all the way up to a maximum of 2000 m (adjustments are made with 100 m increments/decrements). The commander does not have access to a laser rangefinder.
Trivia[]
- Prior to Patch 1.08 for ArmA 2 (pre-Operation Arrowhead), a bug would cause the M1A1 to slide on some terrain surface types if it was turning at high speeds.[8]
- Except for the commander position on the baseline M1A1, the M1A1's gunner was "upgraded" with the ability to use thermal optics after the release of the Operation Arrowhead expansion pack.
- After reaching its EOL (End-of-Life) stage, ArmA 2's M1A1 was given multiple overhauls with the release of the latest Steam version patches (as part of the Community Configuration Project as well as CorePatch):
- The M1A1's driver could not turn out properly even though the tank's model clearly had an animated hatch (CCP).[9]
- The commander's M2HB was limited to a maximum zeroing of only 800 m rather than 2000 m (CorePatch).[10]
- Optics for the commander were not able to toggle thermal vision modes (CCP).[9]
- Zeroing limits on the M256 gun were raised to 3000 m (CorePatch).[10]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Mcnicoll, J et al. 2006, Operation Flashpoint: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 6 April 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Operation_Flashpoint:_Version_History#Patch_v1.10>.
- ↑ Mcnicoll, J et al. 2006, Operation Flashpoint: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 6 April 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Operation_Flashpoint:_Version_History#Patch_v1.46>.
- ↑ ARMA: Cold War Assault 2011 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \BIN\CONFIG.BIN, CfgVehicles >> M1AbramsAuto
- ↑ Španěl, M et al. 2007, ArmA: Armed Assault: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 6 April 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Armed_Assault:_Version_History#Version_1.04>.
- ↑ Španěl, M et al. 2007, ArmA: Armed Assault: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 6 April 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Armed_Assault:_Version_History#Version_1.05>.
- ↑ Španěl, M et al. 2007, ArmA: Armed Assault: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 6 April 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Armed_Assault:_Version_History#Version_1.08>.
- ↑ ARMA: Armed Assault 2006 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \ca\language\tracked\stringtable.csv, M1A1 Auto
- ↑ .kju et al. 2009, Arma 2: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 6 April 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_2:_Version_History#Version_1.08>.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Foltyn, D, Španěl, M et al. 2013, Roadmap - Arma 2: Community Configuration Project, DevHeaven, viewed 6 April 2024, <http://web.archive.org/web/20130627131748/https://dev-heaven.net/projects/arma-2-ccp/roadmap>. (archived link)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Mazzon, M et al. 2019, CorePatch, GitHub, viewed 6 April 2024, <https://github.com/Goliath86/CorePatch/blob/master/Changelog.txt>.
External links[]
See also[]
Variants[]
Vehicles of comparable role and configuration[]
- M60A3 Patton (Medium U.S. counterpart, ArmA: CWA only)
- T-72 (CDF/ChDKZ/Takistani Army/Alternate Russian Armed Forces counterpart, ArmA 2 only)
- T-90 (Russian Armed Forces counterpart, ArmA 2 only)
- T-80 (Soviet counterpart, ArmA: CWA only)
- M2A1 Slammer (NATO successor, ArmA 3 only)
| Vehicles of ArmA: Cold War Assault | |
|---|---|
| Wheeled | Bike • BRDM • Bus • HMMWV • Motorcycle • PV3S • Jeep • SCUD • Skoda • Small car • Sports car • Trabant • Tractor • Truck 5T • UAZ • Ural |
| Tracked | BMP-1 • BMP-2 • M1A1 • M113 (Vulcan) • M60A3 • M2A2 Bradley • Shilka • T-55 • T-72 • T-80 |
| Rotor-wing | AH-1 Cobra • AH-64 • CH-47D • Ka-50 • Mi-17 • Mi-24 • OH-58 • UH-60 |
| Fixed-wing | A-10 • Plane • Sopwith F.1 Camel • Su-25 |
| Aquatic | Boat • LST • Mark II PBR |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. | |
 United States - Vehicles (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
| |
|---|---|
| Wheeled | HMMWV • Jeep • Truck 5T |
| Tracked | M1A1 • M113 (Vulcan) • M60A3 • M2A2 Bradley |
| Rotor-wing | AH-1 Cobra • AH-64 • CH-47D • OH-58 • UH-60 |
| Fixed-wing | A-10 • Sopwith F.1 Camel |
| Aquatic | LST • Mark II PBR |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. | |
| Vehicles of ArmA: Armed Assault | |
|---|---|
| Wheeled | 5T Truck • Army 4x4 • Bus • BRDM-2 • Car • Hatchback • HMMWV (Civil) • Offroad (Hilux) • M1030 (TT650, TT650G) • Pick-Up (Datsun) • Sedan • Stryker • Tractor • UAZ • Ural |
| Tracked | BMP-2 • M1A1 • M113 • Shilka • T-72 |
| Rotor-wing | AH-6 • AH-1Z • KA-50 • MH-6 • Mi17 • UH-60 |
| Fixed-wing | A-10 • AV-8B • Camel • DC-3 • Su-34 |
| Aquatic | CRRC • RHIB • PBX Boat |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. Queen's Gambit | |
| U.S. Army - Vehicles (ArmA: Armed Assault)
| |
|---|---|
| Wheeled | 5T Truck • HMMWV • M1030 • Stryker |
| Tracked | M1A1 • M113 |
| Rotor-wing | AH-6 • AH-1Z • MH-6 • UH-60 |
| Fixed-wing | A-10 • AV-8B • Camel |
| Aquatic | CRRC • RHIB |
 USMC - Vehicles (ArmA 2)
| |
|---|---|
| Wheeled | HMMWV • LAV-25 • Motorcycle • Mountain bike • MTVR • Towing Tractor |
| Tracked | AAVP-7A1 • M1 Abrams (M1A2 TUSK) • M270 MLRS |
| Rotor-wing | AH-1Z • AH-64D • UH-1Y • MH-60S |
| Fixed-wing | A-10 Thunderbolt II • AV-8B Harrier • C-130J Hercules • F-35 Lightning II • MQ-9 Reaper • MV-22 Osprey |
| Aquatic | CRRC • RHIB |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. | |
 U.S. Army - Vehicles (ArmA 2)
| |
|---|---|
| Wheeled | ATV • HMMWV • Motorcycle • MTVR • Stryker (MGS) |
| Tracked | M1 Abrams (M1A2 TUSK) • M2 Bradley • M270 MLRS |
| Rotor-wing | AH-6J Little Bird (AH-6X) • AH-64D • CH-47F Chinook • MH-6J Little Bird • UH-60 Black Hawk |
| Fixed-wing | A-10 Thunderbolt II • C-130J Hercules • MQ-9 Reaper |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. Operation Arrowhead | |