US Billions $ Tank

In every ranking of the top tanks in the world, one tank that always makes the list is the American M1 Abrams. It is the ultimate land machine that tilts the favour of battle in the direction of whoever wields it. Having debuted in 1981 and maintaining its status as the main battle tank of the US and multiple countries around the world for 41 years, the M1 Abrams has stayed in the higher echelon of its territory longer than most tanks, fighter jets, helicopters, and submarines. This is because the Abrams is a no-compromise, 8.92 million dollar tank with world-class firepower, mobility, and armored protection. The US Army, recognising its lethality over the years, has also gone all in on the tank. As a result, over 10,000 units have been built, so the Abrams is not going away anytime soon. For these reasons and more, every attempt to replace the M1 Abrams has been futile. It is simply irreplaceable. Recent updates have made it even more so as General Dynamics, the manufacturer of the Abrams, has just introduced the world to the all-new upgraded and deadliest Abrams tanks - the Abrams X.

The Abrams has been the recipient of constant upgrades since its introduction into service. These upgrades have completely transformed the tank from an unstoppable force built in the late 1970s into a modern war machine fitted with modern armor, armament, and propulsion systems. The primary armament of the Abrams is the M256 smoothbore gun, a 120-millimetre caliber gun compatible with the DM-63 ammunition and the Lay-Hat anti-tank guided missile, the latter offering an effective firing range of eight kilometres, twice that of the former. For its second armament, the Abrams has four of them. Firstly, a 50-caliber M2 HB machine gun in front of the commander's hatch with a thermal sight for accurate night and other low-visibility shooting. Then there are two 7.62 millimeter M240 machine guns, one of which is in a coaxial mount to the right of the main gun. To support these guns, the Abrams has a typical 7.62 millimeter combat loadout of between 10,000 and 14,000 rounds. The fourth secondary armament is an optional one, a second coaxial 50-caliber M2 HB machine gun that's mounted directly above the main gun in a remote weapons platform.

The Abrams features composite armor on its front and sides, where attacks are most likely to come from. The composition of the composite armor consists of sandwich plates of non-explosive reactive armor, or NERA, between conventional steel plates for increased protection compared to conventional steel armor. The NERA plates feature elasticity, allowing them to flex and distort upon perforation, disrupting the penetrating jets of shaped charges and providing more material for a kinetic round to have to pass through. Armor protection is further improved by a new special armor incorporating undisclosed materials and layouts and depleted uranium. Depleted uranium is 1.7 times denser than lead. Though this new armor comes at the cost of adding considerable weight to the tank, making the 62-ton Abrams one of the heaviest tanks in service. In addition to this passive armor, the Abrams features a soft-kill action protection system and the AN/VLQ-6 missile countermeasure device that can impede the function of guidance systems of some missiles by emitting a massive condensed infrared signal to confuse the missile's infrared homing seekers.

To be survivable in battle, a tank must remain mobile. In achieving this, the Abrams is powered by a 1500 horsepower Honeywell AGT 1500 multi-fuel turbine engine. This engine thrusts the Abrams to a maximum speed of 42 miles per hour.

Armament consists of two machine guns: a 12.7 millimetre QJC 88 on the commander's cupola and a coaxial 7.62 millimetre Type 86 machine gun. The Type 99A, Russia's T-14 Armada, and T-90 tanks all appear designed to take the fight to the American M1 Abrams. However, with the Abrams taking on new upgrades faster than an F1 car, it's almost impossible for its contenders to keep up and appreciate this dominance.