The M1A2 Abrams main вαттℓє tank is arguably the best in the world. Yeah, Russia is generating some hype for the Armata family of tanks, but the Abrams is combat-proven and very hard to кιℓℓ.
How hard? Well, in his 1994 non-fiction book, Armored Cav, Tom Clancy recounted a tale of how an M1A1 Abrams got stuck in the mud during the ground ωαя of Desert Storm. It was then set upon by three tanks, Iraqi T-72s specifically. A round ƒιяє∂ from roughly a thousand yards away bounced off, and the Abrams responded by blowing the T-72 that ƒιяє∂ it to bits. A second round ƒιяє∂ from 700 yards, bounced off, and the offending T-72 was вℓαѕтє∂. The third T-72, at a range of roughly 400 yards, ƒιяє∂ a round, which left a groove in the armor of the Abrams. It, too, was ∂єѕтяσує∂ by a shot ƒιяє∂ through a sand berm. These were, supposedly, Russia’s state-of-the-art tanks.
Then, when help arrived, and the tank couldn’t be freed from the mud, a platoon of Abrams tanks tried to ∂єѕтяσу it. After several rounds, they detonated the onboard ammo, but the blow-out panels functioned as designed. Then, when the tank was retrieved from the mud, they discovered that it was still functional. The only issue? A sight was out of alignment.
So, what would it take to reliably ∂єѕтяσу an M1 Abrams? Well, someone at quora.com asked what would happen if an Abrams was hit by a round from a 16-inch gun on an American Iowa-class вαттℓєѕнιρ.
The 16-inch armor-piercing rounds ƒιяє∂ from the вαттℓєѕнιρ weigh in at 2,700 pounds. The 120mm rounds ƒιяє∂ at that Abrams stuck in the mud? They’re about 20 pounds. Do a quick bit of math and you’ll see that the Iowa‘s main gun round is 135 times as heavy as an Abrams’ main gun round. The Abrams may be the world’s toughest tank and can take a ton of abuse, but not this level of abuse.
To put it simply, a main gun round from the Iowa-class вαттℓєѕнιρ will ∂єѕтяσу the Abrams easily. In a way, this speaks well for the Abrams – one can’t really imagine anything short of an Iowa‘s main gun being able to ∂єѕтяσу one.
Source: https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/what-happens-to-an-abrams-tank-if-hit-by-a-вαттℓєѕнιρ-shell/