What it is like to ride in a M1A1 Abrams Tank in Iraq

[ZombieAnusPounder]

I bet tankers arent worried about a zombie outbreak huh?? Im watching The Walking Dead btw LOL

[ManMeatMusket]

@ZombieAnusPounder I just watched that show on netflix lol. and i was thinking, no matter how big a crowd of zombies got, they would have never died in that tank. people are not an obstacle in a tank lol no way

[ZombieAnusPounder]

@ManMeatMusket I still cant figure out why the group does at least take the Hummers. The tanks arent practical and i get it but the up armor hummers would be my ride of choice, especially if the had a 50cal. on top.

[ZombieAnusPounder]

@ZombieAnusPounder "doesn't" take the hummers.." is what i ment

[Magnumkevlar]

it sounds very loud outside how is it inside the tank?

[Clockwise70]

@Magnumkevlar: Loud as well!

[MlgLegitNoscopes]

Why does kim jong il's son look like the kid from Up?

[djhuttle]

Will i be violating OPSEC if i asked you to marry me? =)

I love the M1A1 and anyone who is a crewman of one!

[Clockwise70]

@djhuttle: I would have to check with my wife! ;)

[djhuttle]

@Clockwise70 is it possible to getting any footage of the inside when you guys are popping off sabots or something? I just love how the loader and the gunner work togeather and how the thing slides up after you slide a round into it...It gives me a boner...I mean...um.. it makes me "Excited" =P

[Clockwise70]

@djhuttle: Perhaps in the future I will have an opportunity to share such a video with you. That "thing" that slides up is the Breech Block. ;)

[djhuttle]

@Clockwise70 oooohhh, i new there was something called breech block, but didnt know eactly what it was. and then theres the rest of the tank called "sexy motherfucker" =P

[DARRIEEUSS]

LISTEN THE SOUND OF THE GAS TURBINE ENGINE. IT'S AWESOME!!!

[flyboigamer]

@DARRIEEUSS Cleaning those air filters during Servicing should be a blast =P

[Clockwise70]

@DARRIEEUSS: Newer versions of the M1A1 and M1A2 SEP have a Pulse Jet System that periodically purges the "V Packs", whereas in the past that was a crew level maintenance procedure. Some Tank Commanders prefer that their crews still remove and manually clean their "V-Packs" although it is no longer listed as a maintenance procedure in the Operators Level Technical Manual.

[flyboigamer]

@Clockwise70 Nice overheating prevention measure to enhance field performance threshold. Kudos on the engineers who thought of that

[shakemahead]

looks like australia got it right we have just reaquiped with these bad boys

[Clockwise70]

@shakemahead: I was quite pleased when I learned that Australia was going to be equipped with M1A1 SA! You Aussies are going to fall in love with them! Met some of your guys at Master Gunners Course at Fort Knox.

[delacerdaa]

I`d back you guys any day we shouldn`t be in the middle east at all, they don`t like us over there. 

[guywithtights]

are you a tank commander yourself?

[Clockwise70]

@guywithtights: Yes, I am a Tank Commander.

[FieldMarshallRommel]

whats the max range of the main gun?

[Clockwise70]

@FieldMarshallRommel: Look up Rheinmetall_120_mm_gun @ wikipedia

[FieldMarshallRommel]

@Clockwise70 wow thats a good cannon all right :) all we get is the crappy 25mm cannon on our LAV-3's

[Potatonaught]

how do I sign up to take a tank drivers course? :D

[Clockwise70]

@Potatonaught Join the Army for MOS 19K - Armor Crewman!

[whinnymom1]

@Clockwise70 what score is required on the ASVAB, to drive the tank?

[Clockwise70]

@whinnymom1: The score required by the U.S. Army to become an Armor Crewman (MOS 19K) is a CO score of 90.

[whinnymom1]

@Clockwise70 Thank you.

[cammander263]

are those mansions i see , you guys are camped out nye a mansion estate

[soleman68]

do you think that we will still be fighting in iraq for another 10 years.

[820542]

I love the turbine engine sound!!

[TheDirtdemon6]

Are tanks really shitty to ride inside? Or are they better these days.

[Norwegian73]

So you dont have a gyro on the camera :-)

Thanks for the upload.

[jasonfish07]

i love tanks

[BLRSOKPPT]

I used to ride in an M60 Patton. It doesn't seem much quieter than a diesel with the gas turbine screaming. I always wanted to ride in an Abrams. Thank you for sharing :)

[undecided8713]

whenever I lived in gatesville, right outside of fort hood me and my dad used ta go and watch tha tanks on tha range,,amazing machine, definetly wouldn't wanna be on its badside

[capricornGTR]

@luisbeck007 Good luck with that since a normal human brain can easily override the governments "supercomputer".

[1337BF2]

Thanks for the lift sir.

[sparklerbombg]

IS IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO KILL A DRIVER IN A TANK NOWADAYS?IS IT LIKELY? WHAT I MEAN IS IS IT EASY TO KILL SOMEONE ON THE INSIDE OF AN ABRAHMS TANK IN IRAQ WITH THE WEAPONS they HAVE?

[Clockwise70]

@sparklerbombg: I cannot answer as it would violate OPSEC.

[capricornGTR]

Yes it is very possible. It's called ATM's. Anti-Tank Missile's. Easy? no. Since an M1A1 can fire 7 rounds per minute and the mounted machine gun can fire I think 60+ rounds per minute and rotates 360* along with the turret. + the constant armor upgrades. Along with blast shields. Along with the Night vision and computer controlled guidence. Manual or automatic. So no not impossible but really hard.

[Clockwise70]

@capricornGTR: I would not say "very" possible, but there is always a danger. I have been in combat in the M1A1 AIMS, with no upgraded or add-on armor, and we were hit a few times. I still have all my fingers and toes.

[funkymunky65]

probably not, AK-47s aren't going to go through that much armor, or an RPG

it just scratches the paint :-)

[leadman1979]

Brings back memories.I need to go drink some water

[1903tx]

That looks like MSR Mobile...is that the late Sheik Sattar's compound?

[Clockwise1965]

Correct...

[relemar]

What guns do the crew carry? What rifle?

[bigusmcWW2]

@relemar it looks like a m4

[longsnapper43]

8,800 M1A1 Abrams tanks: $4 million per unit

10 Nimitz class aircraft carriers: $4.5 billion per unit

Ability to sleep well at night knowing that America has the greatest military in the world: priceless

[the2222full]

@longsnapper43 russian forces with american tanks yeah il buy that but america has not got the greates army nore the greatest weapons other than TANKS.

[xDvsking666x]

@longsnapper43 Best comment on youtube.

[MrTanker78]

I love the sound of the engine Tankers lead the way and bring the heat I love being a Tank Gunner its awsome I love sending rounds down range hooah!!!!

[Why2bless]

That was pretty cool.

[ECWUSA1995]

to be honest I cant distinguish the difference between the gunner and the Commander, the commander is pretty much the gunnner cuase he identifies the targests, he tells the gunner what to shot first and he is pretty much the real operator of the whole tank

[M1A2HOOAH]

Your right, the TC is the heart of the tank, but dont be fooled, it takes the same effort from all 4 crewman to make things happen, every job on the tank is equally important

[Clockwise70]

@M1A2HOOAH: Absolutely correct. If one fails they all fail. Live or die as one in the belly of the metal beast.

[ECWUSA1995]

Well whats the point of having a gunner if the TC is pretty much doing everything for him? Finding the targets, deciding for him which ones to shoot and all the other stuff the gunner should be doing

[imthbst]

becasue if the gunner kills civiliand accedentally its the TC's ass

[ECWUSA1995]

What?

[Lilchamps805]

can someone answer my question casue i might be a tank crewmen in the marines and i was wondering if the gunner is the guy operateing thethe machine gun or the connon?

[deathby120]

both

[M1A2HOOAH]

The gunner operates a 240B coax and the main gun..

[cammander263]

u are luckey

[zephiel70]

Goddamn, man, is that the turbine crying in the back? No wonder you guys were deaf as hell on my boat.

[superhakujin]

I think that's the hydraulic pump or the transmission, and yeah, that's pretty damn loud.

[MrQuickSqueez]

OH MAN THERE JUST ROLLIN IRAQ THInking THERE COOL. Ha awsome shit wish i was there

[vulcan7x]

makes an crazy sound any 1 know wat that is?

[Neoclassicalmaese]

I love the video, gonna get into BCT next monday, got a job as a Track vehicle repairer , gonna be working with tanks , thanks for the video man

[goldenknight007]

clockwise70, I was in Ramadi 07-08 part of the 603rd MP, I actually think I bumped into your element on post on the way to chow one day. You guys were like movie stars. I love seeing those Abrams rolling, makes me feel all warm inside. I drove the ASV over there, so I "kinda" know what its like to be stuffed in a can! lol

[Agent47rulz]

The thing I would worry about the most is anti-tank mines. Usually they only break the wheels but if combined with other explosives they have killed crewmembers before.

[BoneBone2012]

no and i dont think anybody cares

[justheretosee]

thanks a lot Clockwise70 for your video !

[ssgd1960]

Shooting Russian made T-62,72,82 were easy. The turrets on those Russian made tanks popped off every time they took a depleted uranium sabot round. sorry plus the A-10 will turn Russian tank into swiss cheese looking junk. Sorry just stating facts.

[al3xt3hl0nly]

sorry, but all of the tanks in iraqi inventory were downgraded russian export version, and sorry, but iraq didnt use t-72, they use heavily downgraded home built version of t-72, "asad babil" and a rpg 7 will go in thru the frontal armor of american tanks and go out the back, sorry just stating facts.

[istarkey95]

are you kidding me it would stop 1/4 of the way thru the front armor it would destroy a lot but the crew would be fine unless it was a lucky shot

[Pewpewlas3rgun]

Actually, while the Iraqi Army did use many "Lion of Babylons," they, in addition to this, also had just as many T-72's imported from Russia. And while your argument that the imported T-72s had far worse crews, and inferior equipment than Russia is very valid, it only gets you so far. Even when the T-72 tanks ambushed and engaged M1's at almost point blank range they were soundly defeated. Though I do admit that the T-80 and T-90 are more than a match for the M1A1 and M1A2 respectively.

[raitiic]

well, i mean no disrespect to the american engineering school, but it's pretty straightforward that the 40millimeters of side- and back armor can be easily penetrated by the rpg7 (which is an obsolete 70's weapon, and in iraq they often use written off chinese rockets for them); the chances of crew surviving such a hit are good, thou, because of the big inner space of the abrams. the TUSK kit probably improves the situation, but still abrams remains well protecded only in frontal projection.

[reptile202]

Actually, M1 tanks was shot by other tanks in the first Gulf War and they hardly was damaged. The M1 tanks has a flexible armor, which slows down the force of rockets and missiles. Therefore, they will enter inside of the tanks armor but not go off.

[xDvsking666x]

@reptile202 No way? where the fuck can I get one of these cause the t-90 isn't cutting it xD

[reptile202]

@xDvsking666x Lol. What did I say? I forgot.

[xDvsking666x]

@reptile202 something about the tank having flexiable amor

[ECWUSA1995]

How the hell could you know that it is 40mm strong? It is CLASSIFIED. Arguing the strength of the Abrams armor is a hollow argument becuase all information is classified

[Pewpewlas3rgun]

And on your last statement... what the hell? When has an RPG-7 ever done anything to an Abrams other than damage the vulnerable treads? It certainly hasn't been able to fully penetrate any part of the armour.

[silentsniper03]

ive seen pictures of abrams tanks that have been hit multiple times, one even hit the loaders hatch up on top of the turret and didnt even go through that.

[HumveeMaster]

you're a retard

[XDarkRaiderX]

Funny !

[XDarkRaiderX]

America can kick russias ass any day ! USA THE BEST !

[Jr55amg]

True , the US and in a larger sense the NATO can kick Russia everyday , M1 Abrams and Leopard 2A6 are the kings here

[Igorqwerty1]

don't be so shure

[gaktkr]

i agree

[maxamillion410]

i was a tanker in ramadi 05-06. i remember that pink house, near the gas station and IP station. brings back memories. One Shot One Kill

[perreira68]

cool vid. Is dat a 50 cal. mg?

[redmustang03]

Yep M2 browning machine gun.

[kempet]

Any chance of putting up more of this raw recording? (with the M1 moving around) - I'd really like to get more sound samples out of this ; )

[kempet]

Really cool vid - I managed to take out some very needed sound samples and put it into SB Pro PE - check out the video I posted as a response. Do you have more videos like this with M1 sounds? Cheers

[marcusos1111]

being the gunner sucks, it doesnt matter if its on the tank or the humvees

[maj0rpawn]

being the gunner sucks, get sniped, and if ied goes off everyone else survives while you die, the gunner should stay in the tank and then pop out if shit goes down

[redmustang03]

That's the loader that stands up the gunner is the one in the tank that always stays in and fires the tank and the Coaxial gun.

[salemcripple]

i think what he's talkin about is manning the .50 cal. And (correct me if i'm wrong) i'm almost positive the loader is on the left hand side of the turret. From what i know, this looks to be the Commander's spot.

[redmustang03]

The left side of the tank is where the loader has the M240 on the skate mount where some tanks have the gunshield. The commander controls the .50 cal M2 browning machine gun on the right side of the tank and some have been altered to fire inside of the tank so that the commander doesn't have expose himself to fire. The gunner inside the tank controls the coxial mm240 machine gun that is right beside the tank gun.

[salemcripple]

thats what i though. Thanks!

[TruckDriverz71]

Theres nothing like that noise of an Abrams M1A1 or A2. I was a tanker. I love that sound! Brings back many memories

[BlizterSoup]

How long is the training for this MOS?

[daaiyahanddonnie]

Its about 5 months. At Ft. Knox,Kentucky

[MelloMP]

A question to those who have served on the Abrams (either the poster, or someone else): does that gas-turbine engine really sound as annoying as in this video? It's not really loud, but on this side of the internet, it comes over as a highly irritating sound. Any enlightenment on that?

I've never heard a 'live' Abrams, and while I knew it had a gas turbine, it just sounds weird... All I've seen (and heard) are Leo 2's, so perhaps that explains it... :P

[Clockwise70]

Yes! It is quite annoying but as a M1A1 Tanker you just learn to live with it!

[trhisdone]

Some of that is the turbine but a lot of it is the hydraulic pumps inside the turret used to move the turret and gun so you got a lot of noise. Tanks are loud. It's why I'm 36 and losing my hearing. Wear your ear plugs guys. I never wore mine in the motor pool and wish now I had.

Hell On Wheels

[rokcsteady]

Hey this is just like from Desert combat mod. Cant be much different. Ive also destroyed a lot of russian T72's with my abrams in DC. great tank and very fast. If your shells run out. You can always swith to .50 cal gun in the top.

[BIGCAL50CAL]

So...Bad...Ass 5/5

[fischech]

Great job, guys. I hope you found some waepons of mass destruction or at least some evil terrorists on your patrol. ;-)

[Clockwise70]

Don't know about the WMDs but found a quite a few EIDs - hell even hit a few of them - not fun!

[xeoriffic]

u guys kick so much ass!!!!

[QuestionMarker]

i bet you have fun with that 50.cal huh?

[Clockwise70]

"Ma Deuce" is always fun to play with!

[edogmartin]

Great vid...what unit are you? when was this video made? Thanks

[Clockwise70]

This video is of tanks belonging to Chaos 3-69 Armor, taken in October of 2007 outside of Ramadi, al Anbar, Iraq.

[Handygmod]

im going into the army, I hope ill be in one of these

[Clockwise70]

Request MOS 19K - Armor Crewman and you too can be a "Tanker"...

[MapleLeafForever89]

Cool vid. I'm thinking about being an armoured soldier.

[Clockwise70]

It is not an easy life. It involves a lot of hard work and maintenance, but it is worth it to ride in an Abrams. There is nothing else like it!

[yarrick513]

@MapleLeafForever89 im leaving soon for basic then 19k ait

[PyroTibbs]

God Iraq is such a shithole.

[Clockwise70]

Perhaps, but it gets better day by day...

[reptile202]

Will the M1 tank burn any kind of fuel? Like rocket fuel to alcohol?

[geterdonein01]

pretty much anything combustible ive heard.

[superhakujin]

Diesel, kerosene, or Jet Propellant. It's not going to run on non-petroleum fuels because the turbine is designed for the longer burn time of petroleum products.

[M1A2HOOAH]

JP8 is the fuel

[capricornGTR]

Yes. pretty much anything that can burn.

[TrueCourse]

They run so smoothly... like a Cadillac :) Great shocks. Thanks for the post :)

[anthrobson]

Awesome! Thanks!