IPM1

This page is about the American medium tank IPM1. For other vehicles of the family, see M1 Abrams (Family). For other uses of the designation, see M1 (Disambiguation).

IPM1

M1A1

M1A2 Abrams

IPM1

M1A1

M1A2 Abrams

USA

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.3	11.3	11.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:175 000

Purchase:950 000

Description

As the M1 Abrams entered service and work began on the M1E1 model with a 120 mm gun, there was a need to synergize the original M1 Abrams' specification with new features implemented into the M1E1. This became the Improved Performance project and saw the turret improvements to the M1E1 implemented into the M1, which improved the overall turret armour. There were other miscellaneous changes for crew comfort such as a rear turret bustle rack for stowages and a cut down rear side skirt for better access to the sprocket wheel. The overall tank designation became known as the IPM1, and 894 units were produced between 1984 and 1986. The IPM1 did not see combat in its configuration, though it was involved in the 1987 Canadian Army Trophy competition and was deployed in Operation Desert Shield before being replaced by the M1A1 tank.

Introduced in Update 1.81 "The Valkyries", IPM1 features improved composite protection in the turret cheeks. This enables a more aggressive gameplay as the turret could withstand more kinetic and shaped-charge munitions than the original version. It can also be equipped with the M900 APFSDS round, which can more easily penetrate enemy tank armour. That said, the IPM1's hull armour did not see any improvement and the large turret ring area remains a significant weakpoint, so players should keep these frontal weak points in mind even when facing weaker opponents.

General info

Survivability and armour

Composite armour

Balanced protection against all types of ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull133 / 60 / 32

Turret139 / 120 / 13

Crew4 people

Visibility82 %

The IPM1 maintains the protective measures and survivability of the original M1 Abrams, with the exception of a minor increase in the levels of composite protection. The result is a notable improvement in chemical protection and a minor improvement in kinetic protection. As with its predecessor, the turret cheeks and UFP are quite effective at deflecting ATGMs and HEAT rounds with only a few exceptions (such as the ADATS' 900 mm penetration missiles). Despite the improved protection, the IPM1 is still vulnerable to turret ring, gun mantlet and lower front plate shots, and particularly powerful kinetic rounds through the turret cheeks.

The Abrams' survivability comes not from armour, but rather from the spread-out crew members and critical components, and blowout panel protecting the crew from ammunition detonation. Often this results in enemies needing to make the choice of either disabling the vehicle's mobility or its offensive ability with their initial round; allowing the Abrams either to escape further damage or fire back.

Rounds that penetrate the rear panel between the turret crew compartment and blowout compartment will negate the blowout protection, causing any potential ammunition detonation to knock the vehicle's crew out as well.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB76 / 43 km/h

RB and SB69 / 39 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight56.8 t

Engine power

AB2 898 hp

RB and SB1 519 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB51.0 hp/t

RB and SB26.7 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	76	43	56.8	2,058	2,898	36.23	51.02
Realistic	69	39		1,343	1,519	23.64	26.74

The IPM1 retains the same engine as the original M1 Abrams with a minor increase (+0.9t) in weight due to the armour improvements. As such, the IPM1 suffers from a minimal reduction in top speed but will still comfortably reach 70km/h on-road. Despite the hugely powerful engine, the vehicle's manoeuvrability suffers prior to the Tracks upgrade being researched; once Tracks have been purchased the IPM1 will perform significantly better in close quarters or in off-road applications.

As with the original Abrams, the IPM1 largely relies on its powerful engine to get it to the battlefield earlier than other vehicles and into advantageous positions.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 302 → 6 792

RB4 229 → 6 677

SB4 958 → 7 828

Total cost of modifications281 900

463 000

Talisman cost3 000

Crew training270 000

Experts950 000

Aces2 200

Research Aces1 210 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 200 / 240 %

244 / 244 / 244 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 320 Suspension Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 290 Brake System Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 290 Filters Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 500 Transmission Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 420 Engine Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 420	Improved Parts Research: 3 600 Cost: 19 000 320 Improved FPE Research: 3 300 Cost: 17 000 290 Crew Replenishment Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 500 ESS Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 420	Horizontal Drive Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 320 105mm_usa_HESH_ammo_pack Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 320 105mm_NATO_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 320 Adjustment of Fire Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 290 105mm_us_M416_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 290 Smoke grenade Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 290 Elevation Mechanism Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 500 NVD Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 500 Artillery Support Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 420 Laser rangefinder Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 420 105mm_usa_M833_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 420

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

105 mm M68A1 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition55 rounds

First-order22 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.5 → 5.0 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

Like its predecessor, the IPM1 is equipped with a reliable 105 mm M68A1 cannon, and also has access to the same ammunition. The 105 mm cannon is somewhat sub-par relative to the weaponry other top rank vehicles are equipped with, but an experienced tanker can make use of the decent round ballistics and incredibly good reload speeds to quickly despatch targets. It's important to know what the cannon is capable of and where weak spots are on enemy vehicles, particularly when facing more modern vehicles such as the Leopard 2A5 and T-80U.

105 mm M68A1					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	55	-10°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	52.7	64.0	70.8	75.3	6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00
Realistic					23.8	28.0	34.0	37.6	40.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
M456A2	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400
M393A2	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
M833	APFSDS	395	392	387	381	375	369
M900	APFSDS	522	519	513	504	495	486

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M456A2	HEATFS	1,174	10.5	0.05	0.1	1.27	65°	72°	77°
M393A2	HESH	732	11.2	0.1	4	4.31	73°	77°	80°
M833	APFSDS	1,485	3.7	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°
M900	APFSDS	1,505	3.85	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
M416	732	11.6	16	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M1 Abrams

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
55	48 (+7)	45 (+10)	23 (+32)	1 (+54)	No

Notes:

• Blowout rack only: 45 (+10) shells.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB machine gun

Ammunition1 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate575 shots/min

Vertical guidance-9° / 65°

7.62 mm M240 machine gun

Ammunition1 400 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate941 shots/min

7.62 mm M240 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition10 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate941 shots/min

The IPM1 is equipped with no less than three machine guns - while most often these are only valuable for clearing obstacles or tagging enemy vehicles, on occasion they might prove valuable dealing with close air support or nearby helicopters, as well as some light vehicles.

Additionally, due to the barrage of rounds produced when all three machine guns are fired simultaneously, they can sometimes be used to obstruct an enemy vehicle's gun sight simply by shooting their main gun (AB/RB) or their optics (SB)

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Commander's cupola	1,000 (200)	577	-9°/+65°	-160°/+180°

7.62 mm M240
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Loader's cupola	1,400 (200)	941	-9°/+65°	-77°/+135°
Coaxial	10,000 (200)	941	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The IPM1 should primarily rely on its speed and reload time to quickly despatch enemies and move back into cover. Where possible, make flanking manoeuvres or use the Abrams' mobility to get into forward positions with the intention to catch unsuspecting targets off. Be aware, however, that the Abrams is only marginally faster than vehicles like the Leopard 2K and T-80U.

When forced into open or ranged engagements, use cover to protect your hull; while the turret may provide insufficient protection keeping the hull safe will often allow you to move back into cover if hit or damaged and repair or relocate, rather than losing your mobility and ability to escape.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Composite armour in turret cheeks and UFP are capable of stopping all but the most powerful chemical rounds and ATGMs
• Has a very fast reload, 6.5 seconds stock down to 5.0 seconds aced
• Very powerful engine, high top speed and good acceleration characteristics
• Extremely good reverse speed
• Fast turret traverse
• Extremely fast gun elevation/depression
• Well spread crew and critical components result in good survivability
• Blowout compartment can save crew from some ammunition detonation cases
• Array of machine guns, effective against CAS, nearby helicopters and some light vehicles

Cons:

• Armour provides suboptimal kinetic protection
• The 105 mm APFSDS rounds aren't particularly powerful; may struggle to penetrate some modern targets
• Extra armour reduces top speed and acceleration
• Extremely vulnerable gun mantlet and turret ring
• Turbine engine is extremely loud, often audible from long distance and can be used to discern the direction of the vehicle
• Has the slowest reverse speed of (36km/h RB) out of all Abrams with (41km/h RB).
• Like with most Abrams series tanks, the engine deck is slightly raised, meaning that you will not be able to depress the gun over the rear of the tank.

History

Development M1

With the cancellation of the MBT-70/XM-803 program in 1971, a new program to research and create prototypes for a main battle tank was created in 1972 known as the Main Battle Tank Task Force (MBTTF) at Fort Knox. General Motors and Chrysler were eventually selected to submit drafts and designs and by the end of 1973 there were scale mock-ups of the XM1 prototypes. The design was featured around the previously used 105 mm M68 gun along with a high powered engine for increased mobility. It was decided to explore new types of composite armour, and the Chobham armour being developing in Britain at the time was examined although it was not used in the XM1 prototypes. The XM1 was tested in 1976, and by the end of the year Chrysler was chosen to create extensive engineering test vehicles.

Testing of the Full Scale Engineering Development (FSED) prototypes took place in 1978 and 1979 with 11 vehicles being produced. By this time the Honeywell AGT-1500 gas turbine engine was installed. After successful modifications and testing, initial production was approved in 1979 for a series of 110 units. Following more testing and finalization, production of the standardized 105 mm Gun Tank, M1 Abrams was approved in 1981, with the production run lasting until January 1985 and over 2,300 vehicles being made.

An IPM1 at Fort Knox with Major General Cooper of the British Royal Armoured Corps in the driver's seat.

Development IPM1

The 105 mm Gun Tank M1, Improved Performance was a modification of the original M1 Abrams tank that was produced between October 1984 through May 1986 with a total of 894 vehicles being produced. The changes made to create the Improved Performance models were taken from the ongoing Block I development program for the M1 Abrams, which would eventually produce the M1A1. Additional NERA armour protection in the turret was added, an upgraded suspension and changes to the transmission gears all added substantial weight and the maximum speed was reduced from 45 to 41.5 mph (72.4 to 67.8 km/h). In addition, more stowage racks were added to the turret, which was elongated to fit the additional composite armour arrays.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the IPM1 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #119 - Metal Beasts section at 06:57 discusses the IPM1. - Tactics & Strategy section at 09:41 discusses how to defeat the IPM1.

See also

• M1 Abrams - Predecessor without the "Improved Performance" upgrades.

External links

• [Devblog] To Minnesota for the "Abrams"
• Hunnicut, R.P. Abrams: A History of the American Main Battle Tank. Novato: Presidio Press, 1990.

References

General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS)
MBTs	IPM1 Abrams · M1A1 · M1A1 HC · M1A2 Abrams · M1A2 SEP
Tank destroyers	M1128 Stryker MGS