VIDEO (very noisy, very cool): M1 Abrams gives cover fire to troops in an Iraqi city

[Louis of PA]

Noisy buggers; I assume the crew all wear hearing protection. Nice video from close up.
Regards

M1 Abrams Tank Provides Cover Fire for Soldiers in Iraq - Video

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[Dale in Louisiana]

I got of the Army before the Abrams hit the field, but you'd be surprised how a few inches of armor cuts down the noise. Even my M60A1's 105mm was a shake and a clank (from the ejected casing) when fired.

Also, the crew wears CVC (Combat Vehicle Crewman) helmets that act like earmuffs, cutting down the noise.

dale
(old tanker)

[Donald Buckbee]

Good posting Louis!
Brings back a whole lot of memories.
I worked for five years as an engineer in the Army's Tank Plant in Warren, MI building M-60's, and a year at the Lima, Ohio tank plant doing the same thing only building the M-1's. Then from 1988 until 1995, I worked on building the factory in Egypt where they, we, built 555 M1's for the Egyptian Army.
My whole life was, is about tanks.
Gotta send that link you posted to my old Boss as he will love seeing it. We are both retired now and he's gotten his Phd and is teaching at the University of Michigan; a very bright guy. We keep in close contact by e-mail.

Thanks for the posting,

Don

[smle-man]

If you want your chimes rung be near a M551 Sheridan when it touches off the main gun. That short barrel and 152mm projectile has a crushing muzzle blast and it will rock that little sucker back on its tracks.

My son came back from Iraq with hearing loss. He crewed an M240 on a Humvee for convoy escort. The gunners didn't wear ear protection so they could hear what was going on around them but the continous exposure to 7.62mm muzzle blast has him on the way to old man's ears. At least the VA gave him a 10% disability.