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The Soon Coming Judgment Of God Upon America and How To Escape It 57
While the Air Force is in charge of the nuclear missile arsenal within the US, the Army is
in charge of ground based missile defenses. The major weapons systems include: Stinger
Weapons System, Avenger Weapons System, Multiple Launch Rocket System, M1A2 Main
Battle Tank, Stryker Vehicles and Patriot Missile. Lets take a look at these:
Stinger Weapons System – The Stinger is a guided shoulder fired low-altitude anti-
aircraft missile system. It has a five mile range, a passive infrared seeker system and supersonic
speed.
Avenger Weapons System – The AWS has two banks of four Stinger missile launchers
on a tuck mount. It is operational day or night and can fire one missile every 3 to 7 seconds. It is
also equipped with a 50 caliber machine gun.
Multiple Launch Rocket System – The MLRS is a highly mobile, automatic system
mounted on tracks and can deliver a large volume of fire-power in a very short period of time. It
has twelve launchers grouped in two pods and can fire twelve rockets with a maximum range
between 9 and 186 miles in under 60 seconds. It is self-loading and self-aiming. The MLRS has
different warhead capabilities. Among these are 644 high-explosive grenades which come as
standard armament. The grenades are for anti-personnel and light vehicle engagements.
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M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank – The M1A2 is the most technologically advanced
tank in the world. It has replaced the M1A1 which replaced the Abrams M1. The M1 was the
most lethal armored vehicle in the world. The M1A2 can shoot on the move. It has a maximum
speed of 45 mph, 30 when going cross country. The tank is armed with a 120mm cannon (40
rounds), a .5 caliber M2 machine gun (1,000 rounds) and a 7.62mm M240 machine gun (1,200
rounds). The 120mm rounds are a combination of kinetic energy (SABOT) and high-explosive
anti-tank (HEAT) shaped charge. They have depleted uranium tips, the hardest metal available,
for armor piercing. The tanks amour includes depleted uranium which provides the highest level
of protection available.
As with all M1s, the M1A2 “utilizes a 3x-10x primary sight with both ambient light and
thermal (infra red) capabilities which allow the gunner to acquire, identify and engage targets in
all weather conditions and at ranges out to 2.5 miles.” Internally, the M1A2 has radical design
changes that support advanced technological improvements. Most notable of these is the Inter-
Vehicle Information system (IVIS). “The IVIS system allows for the automatic and continual
exchange of information between vehicles. By incorporating information provided by an on
board Position/Navigation (POSNAV) system, unit commander's can track the location and
progress of subordinate elements automatically, without tasking vehicle crews. In addition
enemy positions can be identified, plotted and disseminated, while reports and artillery requests
can be automatically formatted, transmitted, and processed. Lastly, map graphic control
measures and operational orders can be rapidly distributed via the IVIS system.” Other
improvements include an independent thermal sight for the Tank Commander. “This CITV sight
allows the commander to independently scan for targets in all weather conditions and through
battlefield obscurants.”
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Desert Storm was the first battle test of the M1A1 and it proved to be overwhelmingly
superior to the Russian made T72 tanks. Desert Storm turned out to be the biggest tank battle in
history. The ground war, led by the Abrams M1A1 was concluded in 100 hours and Iraq's
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