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XM-1 (C) and XM-1 (GM): Ancestors of the Abrams (Updated)
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IN SHORT: premium rank V tanks, the closest relatives of the legendary Abrams – high survivability, excellent mobility, and a fine cannon. They speed up the research of any US tank between ranks I and VI, get you tons of Silver Lions, and are a lot of fun to play!

 

Two new and magnificent rank V tanks are coming to War Thunder! It’s a story of a competition between two companies – Chrysler and General Motors – in creating a new main battle tank for the American army, which would soon become known around the world as the M1 Abrams.

In War Thunder, both tanks are very similar to each other. The XM-1 is a premium rank V tank with composite armor and side skirts. Though its armour is inferior to the armour of the M1 Abrams, it provides decent protection against any type of ammo at the top ranks.

Pre-order - XM-1 General Motors Pack
Pre-order - XM-1 General Motors Pack
The Kit Includes:
  • CXM-1 General Motors tank (Rank 5 USA);
  • Premium account for 15 days;
  • 2000 Golden Eagles;
  • Desert camouflage;
History

It started in the early 1970s, at the height of the Cold War and the arms race. After the joint German-American project to create the MBT-70 main battle tank was closed, and the new all-American XM803 project was deemed an insufficient and too expensive response to the newest Soviet developments, the US Department of Defense developed a new list of requirements for the future American main battle tank. Two engineering giants joined the contest: the Chrysler and General Motors companies. Both contestants decided to use the developments for the MBT-70 and XM803 to design a new tank. Many corrections and additions were made to the tactical and technical requirements of the American government, first and foremost, on the defensive characteristics of the future main battle tank. The requirements for the tank’s armor and survivability increased, along with its maintainability in the field. In addition, the Arab-Israeli conflict showed that a modern tank must have the ability to effectively destroy armored targets at long distances, including with kinetic shells, and also have a sufficiently large complement of shells. In spite of the changes and additions to the technical specification, the contestants managed to achieve their goals, and by 1976, they presented their developments, the experimental prototypes of the XM-1 tank, for testing. Both vehicles were outwardly very similar, with practically identical dimensions. They were alike in their layouts and used the same 105 mm M68 rifled cannon. Both tanks turned out very well. Which prototype did the military choose, and why?

The XM-1 (GM), the contest model from General Motors, became a further development of ideas and technological solutions for the MBT-70 and XM803 projects, including the diesel powertrain and mixed undercarriage with six roller wheels per side, three with hydraulic suspension and three with torsion bar suspension. The competitor to General Motors, the Chrysler company, used their XM-1 (C) model to present not only a progressive gas-turbine engine, but also a new undercarriage with seven independent roller wheels on each side with individual torsion bar suspension. In addition, the Chrysler engineers were able to save funds on constructing the tank by optimizing the components of the aiming equipment and the gun stabilization system. These details played a decisive role in the selection of the contractor to make the XM-1 project a reality. In spite of the fact that numerous flaws and “teething problems” arose during the project, the prototype for the USA’s next-generation main battle tank was confirmed. After several cycles of correcting issues and modernizing the prototype XM-1 (C), the first vehicles began to be deployed under the designation M1 Abrams.

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XM-1 Chrysler

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XM-1 General Motors

The tank’s main armament consists of a 105 mm rifled M68 cannon, already familiar to our players from the top tanks M60 RISE and M1 Abrams. The XM-1 tanks carry 55 shots and have a decent range of shells to choose from: fin-stabilized armour piercing with discarding sabot (APFS-DS), HESH, HEAT-FS rounds, and smoke shells.

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Download Wallpaper with XM-1 (C):
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Download Wallpaper with XM-1 (GM):

The 1500-horsepower engine – a diesel engine on the XM-1 (GM) and gas-turbine on the XM-1 (C) – allows the tank to reach up to 75 km/h. The tank gets up to speed very quickly and is a pleasure to drive. The XM-1 (GM) version differs in its slightly higher maximum speed and hydraulic suspension, which gives the tank new opportunities in some combat situations.

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XM-1 Chrysler

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XM-1 General Motors

On the whole, the XM-1 is an excellent top-range tank in the US tech tree, and its premium status significantly boosts the research for any armored vehicle in the American tech tree between ranks I and VI, and brings excellent bonuses to Silver Lions.

The XM-1 tank is already available in our digital goods store. Note! Once update 1.79 is released and pre-orders end, the price of this pack will become 59.99 USD/EUR (depending on your currency). PlayStation 4 players will be able to purchase it at a reduced price during the first month after release of the pack in the PlayStation Store. The XM-1 (GM) version will be available to PC and PS4 users, and the XM-1 (C) version will be exclusive to Xbox One, a new platform for War Thunder.


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The War Thunder Team

 

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