{"id":50217,"date":"2023-01-28T21:44:30","date_gmt":"2023-01-28T20:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=50217"},"modified":"2025-01-28T00:33:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T23:33:49","slug":"this-is-the-driver-station-of-an-m1-abrams-tank-and-the-impressive-start-of-its-engine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2023\/01\/28\/this-is-the-driver-station-of-an-m1-abrams-tank-and-the-impressive-start-of-its-engine\/","title":{"rendered":"This is the driver station of an M1 Abrams tank and the impressive start of its engine"},"content":{"rendered":"

The American M1 Abrams is undoubtedly one of the best tanks in the world. It has four crew members: commander, gunner, loader and driver.<\/p>\n

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While the rest of the crew rides in the turret,the driver of the M1 Abrams sits in a very reclining position at the front of the barge<\/strong>, just forward of the turret. When the barrel is facing forward, the driver has a hole to open his hatch and stick his head out.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The driver of a US Army 4th Infantry Division M1A2 Abrams tank during an inspection at Fort Carson, Colorado (Photo: US Army).<\/div>\n

Usually, the driver keeps his hatch closed and looks ahead through three small periscopes<\/strong> (one looking straight ahead and two towards the front corners of the tank), which give him a viewing angle of 120 degrees. Also, an infrared visor can be installed in the driver's hatch for driving in low visibility conditions.<\/strong> This IR visor reduces the viewing angle to 60 degrees.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The cockpit of an M1A2 Abrams tank. At the top of the photo is the driver's access door to the turret (Photo: Rocketumblr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

Drivers prefer to drive with the hatch open<\/strong> as it is more comfortable, but this is highly restricted in the US Army. The driver's seat allows you to recline in different ways<\/strong>, depending on whether you are driving with your head out or with the hatch closed. When the gun is in the stowed position (i.e. rear-facing), the driver does not have space to exit through his hatch, so he has has access to the turret<\/strong>. This means that when an Abrams is stowed, the driver has to access his position from the turret (in fact, the driver's hatch can only be opened from the inside).<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
A driver of a US Marine M1A1 Abrams inside the cockpit (Photo: Business Insider<\/a>).<\/div>\n

One of the peculiarities of the Abrams compared to other tanks is that it is driven with a control very similar to that of a motorcycle<\/strong>, next to which are the gears. It is curious to see such a command for a beast that weighs 62 tons (in the case of the M1A2). As I already showed you here in 2014, the Leopard 2 has a steering wheel<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The driver station of an M1A2 Abrams tank. At the top of the photo is the driver's access door to the turret (Photo: Rocketumblr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

If you want to know what the impressive ignition of an M1 Abrams engine is like<\/strong>, a year ago StrangeSouI<\/a> posted this interesting video showing him from the driver's seat:<\/p>\n