001 M1E1 Abrams American Experimental MBT - Catching up!

Following the failure of the MBT-70 joint project, the need for a new tank for West Germany and the USA had not gone away. One of the main points of value for those projects was the interchangeability of parts and, even after the joint project had been terminated, the desire for more interchangeability continued. In 1974, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the USA and West Germany in which the USA would test the German Leopard 2 with the goal of standardizing as much as possible between the two tank programs. This was followed, in 1976, by an addendum in which the components to be standardized were identified. It was here that the decision was made to select the German 120 mm smoothbore gun for both tanks, although it was apparent that the first series M1 entering production would have to be armed with the M68 105 mm gun instead, as the 120 mm was not ready. In 1976, the project to upgun the M1 with this 120 mm smoothbore gun was already set out, naming this first variant as the M1E1.

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An article by Andrew Hills

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Audio edited by Kraiger

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