M1150 ABV Assault Breacher Vehicle

Engineer and mine clearing vehicle M1A1 tank chassis - United States

Description

The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) is a tracked armored engineer vehicle specifically designed for conducting in-stride breaching of minefields and complex obstacles. The ABV is built on the same chassis as the General Dynamics-built M1A1 Abrams main battle tank. The Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) is a single platform that will provide deliberate and in-stride breaching capability to the assault force of the Marine Air Ground Task Force. The ABV operates as part of the combined arms task force and is assigned to and employed by Combat Engineers. The ABV incorporates a number of subsystems, including a full width mine plow, dual line charges, lane marking system, remote control system, and protective weapon system. The integration of the Breaching Package onto the ABV, which uses the M1 tank chassis, shall require minimal modification to the chassis. The development and design of the ABV were carried out in the US Army Anniston Depot in Alabama who has extensive experience in the overhaul and modernisation of armoured fighting vehicles and other equipment. The US Marine Corps has ordered a total of 45 systems and by mid 2009 a total of 31 had been delivered.

ABV Assault Breacher Vehicle variants:

No variants at this time.

Technical Data

Armament
For its self-protection, the M1150 ABV is armed with a .50 (12.7 mm) M2 HB machine gun. This machine gun is mounted to the commander cupola, A bank of standard electrically operated grenade launchers are fitted on either side of the superstructure to cover the frontal arc.
Design and protection
The M1150 ABV is built on the same chassis as the General Dynamics-built M1A1 Abrams main battle tank. The ABV will provide crew protection and vehicle survivability while having the speed and mobility to keep pace with the maneuver force. For the ABV role, the turret of the M1A1 Abrams MBT has been removed and replaced by a new all-welded steel structure to which has been added the latest explosive reactive armor (ERA) package. This provides a higher level of protection against anti-tank weapons fitted with a High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead fitted to weapons such as the RPG-7 (Rocket Propelled Grenade).
Mobility
The chassis used for these M1150  ABV were supplied from surplus Army stocks and were refurbished to a common standard with the current M1A1 Abrams MBT used by the US Marine Corps. The M1 Abrams is powered by a 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW) Honeywell AGT 1500 gas turbine, and a six-speed (four forward, two reverse) Allison X-1100-3B Hydro-Kinetic automatic transmission, giving it a governed top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) on paved roads, and 30 mph (48 km/h) cross-country. The suspension of the ABV is composed on each side with 7 road wheels and 2 track-return rollers, on each side of the chassis. The drive sprocket is mounted at the rear and the idler at the front.
Accessories
Major components of the M1150 ABV include a Full-Width Mine Plow (FWMP), two linear demolition charges (LDC), a lane-marking system, a remote control system, and weapon station integration on a modified M1A1 tank chassis. ABV will fill the requirement to clear a lane of sufficient width and depth for the assault forces and will be operated by a two-man crew with an option for remote control. The M1150 ABV is equipped with a variety of specialized equipment supplied by the British company Pearson Engineering. The HLA (High Life Adaptors), whilst providing an increased approach angle to the ABV, allows the rapid fitting and removal of the full suite of ABV front-end equipment and sub-systems. For clearing minefields, the FWMP (Full Width Mine Ploughs) can be swiftly installed at the front of the vehicle which can be rapidly replaced by the CDBB (Combat Dozer Blades) that, in addition to clearing battlefield obstacles, can also be used to prepare firing positions. Another alternative installation at the front of the vehicle is the Pearson Engineering ROBS (Rapid Ordnance Removal Systems) or an SMP (Lane Marking Systems). The plow mounted on the front of the ABV lets it construct hasty earthworks for cover and to barrel through enemy obstacles. Mounted on the rear of the ABV turret structure is the Linear Demolition Charge System containing two launchers with an updated firing system. Each of these launchers is fitted with a MK 2 solid-propellant rocket attached to an M58 linear charge. The ABV included the same communications system and a deep fording capability as the M1A1 Abrams MBT.

Specifications

Armament Armor
One machine gun 12,7 mm caliber. All-welded steel structure with explosive reactive armor (ERA) package.
Country users Weight
United States 50,000 kg
Designer Country Speed
US Army Anniston Depot 70 km/h on road
Accessories Range
Full-Width Mine Ploughs, Combat Dozer Blades, Rapid Ordnance Removal Systems, Lane Marking Systems 500 km
Crew Dimensions
2 Length: 7.9 m; Width: 3.6 m; Height: 2.4 m

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