But evolving technology will eventually surpass the M1, and the weapon will take its place alongside the dozens of other tanks that have come and gone over the years. The combination of these advanced electronics, incredibly strong armor and massive firepower make the M1 an almost unbeatable opponent in tank warfare. In order to hide communications from the enemy, the system uses encrypted radio signals. Using IVIS, commanders keep track of the other tanks' positions, transmit maps and share information about the enemy.

The machine guns are mainly for attacking infantry soldiers.Īll of the M1s on the battlefield are linked together by the inter-vehicle information system (IVIS). On the M1A2, they have to open the tank's two hatches and fire the guns manually, so it's not a viable option in a tank battle. The loader and commander may also operate the two machine guns mounted on top of the turret. Generally, the gunner tells the loader which sort of round to load. The loader pulls rounds from the ammunition compartment and load them into the main gun. He also controls the front machine gun and monitors the main gun's general condition. He pinpoints targets using a stabilized sight, with day vision and thermal night vision capabilities, and a laser range-finder that precisely measures the distance to the target. The gunner targets enemy vehicles and bunkers and fires the main gun. He can monitor the tank's various systems and its position on his integrated display. He has several periscopes and a joystick-controlled independent thermal night vision viewer to survey the battlefield.

The commander oversees the tank's operation, communicates with other tank commanders and directs the rest of the crew.

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