M1A1 AIM

This page is about the American main battle tank M1A1 AIM. For other vehicles of the family, see M1 Abrams (Family). For other uses, see M1 (Disambiguation).

M1A1 AIM

M1A1 AIM

USA

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.7	11.7	11.7

Class:

SQUADRON

Medium tank

Research:550 000

Purchase:1 000 000

Show in game

Description

The Tank, Combat, Full Tracked, 120-mm Gun M1A1, AIM is a squadron rank VII American medium tank with a battle rating of 11.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Danger Zone".

The exported version of M1A1 for RAAC with the AIM (Abrams Integrated Management) package in view to maintain its overall combat capability; thanks to the reworked armor and upgraded FCS, players of main tech tree Abrams will find M1A1 AIM has better awareness to its other variants, with very familiar mobility and relatively better protection.

General info

Survivability and armour

Composite armour

Balanced protection against all types of ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull133 / 60 / 32

Turret139 / 120 / 13

Crew4 people

Visibility82 %

At first glance, M1A1 AIM looks identical to post-M1A1 Abrams variants with its iconic 120 mm M256 cannon; but if there's anything that can make it different from M1A1 and HC variant in US service, it is the AIM package. This gives AIM better protection to M1A1 in terms of its turret and LFP where revised DU armor were installed to fit the 21st century battlefield. Thanks to its relatively large size overall, players might sometimes find that the penetrated shot might do lesser damage as the shrapnel damage is migrated by the large internal space, smaller caliber shells are the same case as well; but do not take this protection as granted since there are still the infamous "neck" by the turret where penetrated shots have possibility of taking down the crews in the turret; do also keep an eye on the LFP as well since the overall thickness is still insufficient to stop darts at its tier. Like other Abrams, it has a blowout panel by the rear of the turret for protecting the crew from a detonation; do make sure that clear the hull ammunitions by the rear right side as this means an instant-kill for the crew.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	___ mm	___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom	___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Turret	___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Cupola	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB76 / 43 km/h

RB and SB69 / 39 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight62.0 t

Engine power

AB2 898 hp

RB and SB1 519 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB46.7 hp/t

RB and SB24.5 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	76	43	62	2,058	2,898	33.19	46.74
Realistic	69	39		1,343	1,519	21.66	24.5

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 343 → 6 857

RB4 245 → 6 702

SB5 369 → 8 477

Total cost of modifications277 400

458 000

Talisman cost3 000

Crew training270 000

Experts950 000

Aces2 200

Research Aces1 210 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 190 / 210 %

244 / 244 / 244 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 360 Suspension Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 310 Brake System Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 310 Filters Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450 Transmission Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 380 Engine Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 380	Improved Parts Research: 4 500 Cost: 23 000 360 Improved FPE Research: 3 900 Cost: 20 000 310 Crew Replenishment Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450 ESS Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 380	Horizontal Drive Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 360 120mm_DM_HEAT_FS_ammo_pack Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 360 Adjustment of Fire Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 310 120mm_NATO_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 310 Elevation Mechanism Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450 Smoke grenade Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450 Artillery Support Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 380 Laser rangefinder Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 380 NVD Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 380

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

120 mm M256 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition40 rounds

First-order17 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.5 → 5.0 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

The M1A1 AIM is armed with the 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun, players of M1A1 HC will soon find themselves at home as they shares identical shells.

The stock round is M830 HEATFS, although it might not be effective in late cold-war where tanks are usually equipped with ERA blocks or composite armor; be sure to take down the enemies by the sides or pick light targets as they will either be knocked out by the explosive contents or been melted by the jet stream.

The researchable M830A1 MPAT shell, while it might a bad news that it has lesser explosive content and penetration; it is also known as a HEAT-MP equipped with proximity fuze for the warhead, effective against aforementioned targets as well as aircrafts- a hit from it certainly blows up most aircrafts in one shot, if not fatally damaged.

Since there are limits from Non-Proliferation Treaty of nuclear-related weapons, including DU rounds, RAAC received the tungsten alloy version of M829A1, the KE-W. Although the lesser penetration to M829A1 at 583 mm, but the "Silver Bullet" will still make short work of most armored targets with one shot.

120 mm M256					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	40	-10°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	52.7	64.0	70.8	75.3	7.80	6.90	6.36	6.00
Realistic					23.8	28.0	34.0	37.6	40.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
M830	HEATFS	480	480	480	480	480	480
M830A1	HEATFS	350	350	350	350	350	350
KE-W	APFSDS	583	579	569	556	542	528

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M830	HEATFS	1,140	13.1	0.05	0.1	2,360	65°	72°	77°
KE-W	APFSDS	1,585	4	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	80°	81°

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Arming distance (m)	Trigger radius (m)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
									0%	50%	100%
M830A1	HEATFS	1,410	11.4	0.05	0.1	400	10	1,390	65°	72°	77°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
40	35 (+5)	18 (+22)	1 (+39)	No

Identical to M1A1 and A1 HC, be sure to clear out all ammunitions in the hull (5 of them); although Abrams have a blowout panel to save the crew from turret side shots, a solid hit on those 5 unprotected shells will let players meet their miserable end quickly.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB machine gun

Ammunition1 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate575 shots/min

Vertical guidance-9° / 65°

7.62 mm M240 machine gun

Ammunition1 400 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate941 shots/min

7.62 mm M240 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition10 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate941 shots/min

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle (Commander)	1,000 (200)	577	-9°/+65°	-160°/+180°

7.62 mm M240
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle (Loader)	1,400 (200)	941	-9°/+65°	-77°/+135°
Coaxial	10,000 (200)	941	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The AIM plays just like its regular tech tree counterparts, meaning seasoned Abrams players will already be accustomed to its playstyle. The increased turret protection allows it to make use of hull down tactics just as effectively as the M1A1 HC and M1A2, with the 2nd generation thermal sights allowing for easier target identification and acquisition at range. It can also brawl relatively well because of its quick reactionary ability. The KE-W APFSDS round is perfectly capable of tackling its contemporaries.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Has access to 2nd generation thermal sights allowing for easier targeting especially at long range
  • Also has access to 2nd generation thermals for the commander's machine gun
• Effective turret armour
• Good gun handling and reload speeds
• M830A1 allows the engagement of helicopters
• Highly effective KE-W APFSDS

Cons:

• Poor stock grind with no tier 1 APFSDS round
• Poor hull armour, easily penetrated by its contemporaries
• Raised engine deck limits firing angles when the main gun is pointed rearwards

History

The Royal Australian Armored Corps (RAAC) has been a long time user of European tanks including British's Centurion and German's Leopard AS1; by the 21st Century, Royal Australian Army opted to purchase M1A1 from from the United States as the replacement of Leopards in July 2007. These 59 M1A1 AIM has its DU armor removed to comply with Non-Proliferation Treaty and been deployed in RAAC as their new generation MBT; these tanks were planned for upgrades in late 2010s and later plans including building 75 M1A2 Sep v.3 domestically with non-DU armor package specifically for Australia by 2024 and replace these 59 M1A1 AIMs.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Squadron vehicle: M1A1 AIM

Squadron ground vehicles
USA	M901 · M1A1 AIM
Germany	Leopard 2 PL
USSR	BMP-2M · T-80UK
Britain	Bhishma TWMP
Japan	RCV (P)
China	Object 122MT "MC"
France	CV 9035NL
Sweden	T 80 U
Israel	Magach 6B Gal