Forces of Valor 80066 1:32 U.S M1A1 ABRAMS Iraq, 2003

The M1 Abrams™ is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States.  It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of U.S. Military Forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. Highly mobile, designed for modern amoured ground warfare, the M1 is well armed and heavily amoured. Notable features include the use of a powerful gas turbine engine (fueled with JP8 jet fuel), the adoption of sophisticated composite amour, and separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment for crew safety.

The Abrams™ was untested in combat until the Gulf War in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. A totalof 1,848 M1A1s were deployed to Saudi Arabia to participate in the liberation of Kuwait. The M1A1 was superior to Iraq's Soviet-era T-55 and T-62 tanks, as well as T-72s imported from the Soviet Union and Poland. Further combat was seen during 2003 when U.S. Military Forces invaded Iraq and deposed the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein during Operation Iraqi Freedom.