m1 abrams main battle tank gulf war stats

Unfortunately for the US military, this generational difference in vehicles would prove deadly. However, the majority of tanks deployed in 2003 were of the M1A2 variety, which had been introduced first in 1986. These tanks featured upgraded armor and electrical systems, a new cooling system, and modernized sensors/sights. By the time the invasion of Iraq came about on March 19, 2003, the most advanced version of the Abrams fielded was designated the M1A2SEP1. In the interwar period, the Abrams underwent a number of upgrades and revisions. US Army M1A2 Abrams tanks in Tal Afar, Iraq, in 2005

The real number is difficult to ascertain, but the simple fact is that the ratio of kills to losses heavily favored the Abrams. Flight International‘s Maedition listed the number of Iraqi tanks destroyed at 3,008. As previously mentioned, these were primarily of Soviet make, but also consisted of some tanks from other countries as well, including China (Type 59/69), the UK (Chieftain Mk.3/5), and the US (M60/M47 Patton). Furthermore, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ 1990 edition of The Military Balance, Iraq fielded about 5,530 main battle tanks prior to the war. The Iraqi military was in disarray by the time the Coalition arrived on the ground, and thus large battles and major defensive moves were not seen. First, by the time Coalition ground forces rolled into Iraq in 1991, the Iraqi military had been under sustained aerial bombardment for over two weeks. While the majority of Iraqi armored vehicles were destroyed from the air, a fair number were destroyed by ground vehicles, including the Abrams. Despite some setbacks, mostly in terms of the range and fuel economy of the vehicle it performed remarkably. The debut of the Abrams went incredibly well for the tank. Designed with combat against the Warsaw Pact in mind, the Abrams instead was sent into battle against a decidedly weaker foe, albeit one armed with Soviet tanks such as the T-54/55, T-62, and T-72 (along with Iraq’s own variant of the T-72, the Lion of Babylon tank, which was fielded in very limited numbers). While the Abrams entered service in 1980, it wasn’t until 1991 that it first saw combat.

M1 abrams main battle tank gulf war stats