Photo By Mark Schauer | U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground testing has touched virtually every aspect of the M1...... read more read more
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The M1 Abrams is the premier tank in the ground combat arsenal of the United States and several allied countries, renowned for its survivability and superior weaponry, and ability to negotiate challenging desert terrain.
The platform has undergone testing at YPG since its inception in the late 1970s and has continually returned for upgrades ever since.
YPG testing has touched virtually every aspect of what remains the world’s most capable battle tank, in a variety of situations that simulate the less-than-ideal conditions Soldiers might encounter in combat. The most recent example of this is a test to verify new fire control software meant to improve the speed and accuracy of the platform’s 120 mm gun, .50 caliber and 7.62 machine guns, and grenade launchers, all while ensuring other aspects of the vehicle’s performance are not degraded.
“We verify that the software performs better than the previous version and that the vehicle computer will actually implement the correct parameters for proper projectile path when it is shooting and stable while it is performing other maneuvers,” said Jose Jaramillo, test officer. “The terrain on the course shouldn’t affect the positioning of the turret.”
Across two 50-mile simulated missions on YPG’s punishing road courses, the testers verified the vehicle’s positioning system using surveyed waypoints. For weapon performance, the evaluators used four firing scenarios: firing at a stationary target while stationary, firing at a moving target while stationary, firing at a stationary target while moving, and firing at a moving target while in motion. The testers fired inert rounds and scored the impacts visually as well as acoustically with a microphone array. Across all the scenarios, the evaluators verified the turret’s stability and accuracy of the weapons systems’ lazing ability, all at different distances.
The testing occurred during the hot weather months in Yuma, where daily triple digit temperatures are ordinary.
“The ideal time to test is in the summer: you’re putting a lot of stress on the systems in the natural environment,” said Jaramillo. “You can really replicate how much stress it could encounter when being operated by Soldiers out in the field.”
| Date Taken: | 11.20.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.20.2024 13:47 |
| Story ID: | 485338 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 159 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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