In August 1985 however, the M1 was outfitted with the licence-built version of the Rheinmetall 120mm gun, as found on the Leopard 2 tank and subsequently entered production as the M1A1 Abrams. By 1985, several thousands of M1s had already been manufactured and put into service.
Production of the M1 continued until 1985, with an improved M1IP version being produced briefly between 1984 -1986. The M1 entered production in 1979, with the first production version M1 leaving the factory floor in February 1980. Once testing was concluded and the results evaluated, the turbine-powered Chrysler design was proclaimed the winner of the competition and thus the Chrysler design would soon enter production as the M1 Abrams. Testing of both prototypes took place in the presence of the new German Leopard 2 tank, which was shipped to the U.S. By 1976, the XM1 prototypes were being readied for testing, with the finishing touch being the installation of the M68 cannon. Impressed by what they saw, both companies decided to reevaluate and optimize their designs’ armor layout to increase its effectiveness, with General Motors changing the front shape of the turret to a sloped surface, whilst Chrysler retained its vertical design. Early July 1973 marks an important date for the project after representatives of both companies travelled to Great Britain to witness the development of the new composite armor, named Burlington. The development of the XM1 Abrams was a competition between two designs of the Chrysler and General Motors companies, respectively. Once the unsuccessful joint German-American MBT-70 project had been shut down in 1971, the Congress redistributed funds to the further development of the XM815 project, later known as the XM1 Abrams.
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