The Abrams M1 tank is the primary battle tank of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. It has been used in nearly every major U.S. conflict since its introduction in 1980 and the military wants to keep these land weapon systems in service until 2040.
NBC reports that the U.S. military has more than 2,300 M1s deployed and roughly 3,000 more in American military bases nationwide.
Repairs and upgrades are done at Anniston Army Depot in Alabama and the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Ohio, where tanks are gutted and rebuilt over a ten-month operation.
We've taken screenshots from a National Geographic documentary to show how the military keeps its tanks in fighting shape.
Army Depot in Anniston Alabama is the first stop for the M1 tanks. The tanks will spend an average of 4 months here before they are shipped off for the second reconstruction phase some 600 miles away in Lima, Ohio.
The first step is to strip the tank of its parts. Here the crew separates the turret from the hull.
Next, the 1.5 ton gas turbine engine is removed. The M1 is the only tank in the world that uses this versatile engine. "Everything from unleaded gasoline to Chanel No. 5, it'll burn it," says Rodney Brodeur of the Anniston Army Depot.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider