The U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division, nicknamed "Old Ironclad", is part of the U.S. Army's 3rd Armored Corps, currently stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, Lone Star State, and is also the frontline unit in the current confrontation between the U.S. National Guard and federal forces. As the first armored division of the U.S. Army to fight in World War II, the division has participated in almost all U.S.-led wars since World War II, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War, and many other operationsIn the latest reorganization plan of the US Army, an armored brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division may be converted into a Stryker Medium Combat Brigade, so that the 1st Armored Division will also become the only fully armored division of the US Army.
Soldiers of the Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Armored Division patrol Syria
The 1st Armored Division is currently in the same position as a U.S. Army division, consisting of a division headquarters and a battalion, three armored brigades, one army aviation brigade, one divisional artillery brigade and one support brigade. It is mainly responsible for breakthrough, in-depth attack and pursuit missions, and the offensive depth can reach more than 60 kilometers, and in defensive operations, it can complete the isolation zone of 30 60 kilometers in front and 50 70 kilometers in depth, and the powerful armored assault firepower can form a counterattack against the enemy at any time.
With the help of the M-88 tracked rescue vehicle, the heavy equipment of the 1st Armored Division was pulled out of the power pack from the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank due to its large number and volume, although it is suitable for cluster assault, it cannot be transported by large-scale airlift, and lacks the overall rapid strategic mobility capability, and at the same time, the main battle tank and tracked armored vehicles have limited combat capabilities in dense jungles, mountainous areas and water network terrain, which is not suitable for urban street fighting, and heavy equipment will cause great pressure on fuel and other logistics.
Contains tank formations in armored bridge-erecting vehiclesAfter the new round of military reform in 2017, the armored brigade consists of the brigade headquarters and brigade headquarters company, 1 reconnaissance battalion, 2 tank battalions, 1 mechanized infantry battalion, 1 artillery battalion, 1 engineer battalion, and 1 support battalion, of which the tank battalion consists of 2 tank companies and 1 infantry company, and the mechanized infantry battalion consists of 1 tank company and 2 infantry companies, so that a triangular structure of 5 tank companies and 4 infantry companies is formed. It is further optimized in the step-tan collaboration.
The brigade of the 1st Artillery Division is an artillery unitAs an all-armored unit, the equipment of the 1st Armored Division is basically tracked heavy equipment, mainly with M1 Abrams main battle tanks, M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and M3 Bradley armored personnel carriers.
1. M577 armored command vehicle
The M577 command post transporter, also known as the M577 command post vehicle or armored command vehicle, is a derivative of the M113 armored personnel carrier. The division headquarters is equipped with 2 vehicles, the armored brigade headquarters is equipped with 6 vehicles, the 2 armored brigades are equipped with 12 vehicles, and the infantry brigade is equipped with 6 vehicles, for a total of 20 M577 armored command vehicles.
In total, more than 7,300 M577 armoured command vehicles were produced, of which approximately 3,900 were M577A1 types, making the M577 the most numerous single variant of the M113 family after the APC. The latest model, the M577A4, was developed by BAE Systems in collaboration with the FNSS, and the rear ramp is flanked with an upgraded digital system and communications kit, decal armor and external armored fuel tanks, similar to those mounted on the M113A3, freeing up more interior space. An improved version of the 6V53T turbodiesel engine was installed with a "4B" version of the TX-400 automatic transmission, and the power was increased to 350 horsepower.
2. M1150 assault sabotage vehicle
The M1150 Assault Van, a U.S. Army Engineer Battalion standard minesweeper and explosives clearance vehicle, is based on the General Dynamics chassis used for the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, and is specifically designed to clear the roads for minefields, roadside bombs, and improvise** devices for troops and other vehicles, with a total of 239 M1150 ABVs produced as of November 2023.
The M1150 Assault Vandal, the M1150 ABV, consists of the M1A1 Abrams tank hull and a unique turret that accommodates two linear blasting charge systems and two demining line charges (miclic) in addition to the rocket. In addition, it includes a lane marking system (LMS), an integrated vision system (IVS), and a high-lift adapter that can be used to attach a full-width minesweeper plow (FWMP) or combat dozer blade. The combat vehicle is 12m long, weighs 72 tons and can accommodate a crew of two.
The M1150 ABV was built at the Anniston Army Base in Anniston, Alabama, USA, with an engineered destruction system supplied by Pearson Engineering, a British civil engineering firm. The U.S.-based engineering company AECOM supplied the linear dismantling charge system for the vehicle, while the U.S.-based arms industry company Leonardo DRS supplied the thermal IVS and embedded diagnostic systems.
3. M9 armored combat bulldozer
The M9 Armoured Combat Bulldozer (ACE) is a highly maneuverable armored tracked vehicle that provides combat engineering support to front-line troops. Deployed by the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army, its tasks include removing enemy obstacles, maintaining and repairing roads and supply routes, and constructing combat positions, with six vehicles per heavy engineer brigade.
M9 Armoured Combat Bulldozer M9 is used in combination with light or heavy combined arms units to perform mobility, counter-mobility, sustainability and survivability missions. Tasks include preparing or reducing obstacles, waste management, and route clearance. It also plays a limited role in offensive breakthroughs by carrying a minesweeper charge. During Operation Desert Storm, the ACE's ability to traverse hundreds of kilometers of desert with mobile units allowed it to successfully perform a variety of missions, such as building combat roads and trails, survival positions, and berms, proving to be a successful combination of armored vehicles and combat bulldozers.
Summary: In the case of wartime expansion, the 1st Armored Division can be equipped with 348 M1A1 A2 main battle tanks, 216 M2 infantry fighting vehicles, 100 M3 cavalry fighting vehicles, 308 full-track armored personnel carriers, 167 tracked command vehicles, and more than 100 various types of armed forces and transports attached to combat aviation brigades.