Combat usually reveals weaknesses in armored
vehicles, weaknesses that no amount of testing can reveal. The extensive use of
the American M1 tank in Iraq has demonstrated, once more, how true this is.
Several weaknesses in the M1 were revealed after extensive use under combat
conditions. On the outside of the tank, the bore evacuator, which vents toxic
gas from the gun barrel, was made of fiberglass. In combat, it was easy for the
bore evacuator to catch fire. When that happened, noxious gasses would get into
the tank, forcing the crew to bail out. It was also discovered that the side
and rear armor of the M1 was thin enough for some RPGs to get lucky, and
penetrate into the crew compartment. This sometimes revealed another flaw. The
automatic Halon fire extinguisher system was not able to handle many fires,
meaning the crew had to get out. These flaws, and several others, were duly
noted, and fixed (or are being fixed), but they are a reminder that no matter
how well designed or tested your tanks are, once in heavy combat, over a long
period, flaws will emerge.
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