Abrams

The M1 Abrams, known in-game simply as the Abrams, is the best main battle tank ever devised. In 2014, as the United States fragmented into six different nations, the Abrams tanks formerly controlled and operated by the US Army and US Marine Corps fell into the hands of the various factions.

Statistics[]

Unit Type: Heavy Armor
Availability: US factions

Cost: $45,000
Anti-Infantry Attack: 13
Anti-Vehicle Attack: 17
Anti-Aircraft Attack: 6
Defense Rating: 12
Hit Points: 21
Collateral Damage: 4
Sight Range: 2
Target Range: 2
Movement Range per turn: 6
Fuel Supply: 30

Analysis[]

The Abrams is, overall, the best option for a main battle tank available to the American factions. Faster than the older M60 and better armed and armored, it is also faster- sometimes significantly faster- than the more powerful but slower super-heavy tanks created by each of the factions. Its movement rate of 6 hexes per turn means that any force using the Abrams in numbers will be able to move against the enemy with significant speed.

Against the older tanks appearing in the game- the M60, the AMX-30, and the T-55- the Abrams fights at an advantage, and it can deal with Light Armor and Medium Armor units without much trouble. Among newer Heavy Armor units, The T-90 is a formidable opponent, possessing equal speed and slightly better anti-vehicle attack ratings. The Leopard 2 is the EU's equivalent to the Abrams, with near-identical stats.

The Abrams may not be as powerful or well-armored as some of the FCS tanks, but it is more balanced, combining its high movement speed of 6 with solid armor and firepower. The larger and more powerful FCS tanks are all slower save for the FCS Jackson, which has equal speed but a lower target range. The Abrams has neither the greater firepower or armor of the FCS tanks, nor their flaws, like slower speed or higher collateral damage.

Veterancy[]

If an Abrams is promoted to Experienced or Veteran status, its Hit Points increase each time. Fuel Supply is upgraded once, at Experienced. The Abrams' upgraded stats for each level of Veterancy status are:

Experienced- Hit Points: 25, Fuel Supply: 37
Veteran- Hit Points: 35, Fuel Supply: 37

Gallery[]

Behind the Scenes[]

The Abrams does not actually use a diesel engine, which is the generic sound file for all heavy armor units in-game. Up to the M1A2, it has used a gas-turbine engine that effectively runs on jet fuel. It is possible that some factions retrofitted their Abrams tanks with a diesel engine, or that the game is a minor AU where the Abrams was altered and fitted with a diesel engine. Most likely, however, is that the game designers simply didn't create a separate sound file for the unique turbine engine of the Abrams.
The Abrams has always been produced by General Dynamics Land Systems at the Lima Tank Plant in Lima, Ohio, a US Army industrial facility first opened in 1941. The area Lima is in falls within territory of the Great Plains Federation, meaning that whether or not it appears in the game, the GPF controls the only real-life factory that produces the Abrams at the start of the game.
The Abrams is named for General Creighton Abrams, U.S. Army, a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam who served with the famous General George S. Patton Jr. and later with his son, Major General George S. Patton, IV. Abrams served as the 26th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from October 1972 until his death in September 1974.
The version of the Abrams that appears in the game is the M1A3. The latest version of the tank that existed in service in 2005 and in 2014 was the M1A2. The M1A3 is a real update to the Abrams that is being developed, but it is not expected to enter service until after 2020.