Most RPGs are designed to fuze at angles of up to 75°, but the Abrams' glacis is sloped at 82°.
This increases effective thickness greatly (to something around 273 mm / 10.74 inches) and means that there is a really high chance for ricocheting APFSDS ammo, while most HEAT ammo (including RPGs) will have a hard time fuzing the warheads. However the UFP is sloped so much, that it is nearly vertical. The upper front plate (aka the glacis) of the hull relies on slope rather than special armor based on US documents there is only as single 1.5 inch (38.1 mm) thick steel plate (which matches available photos). This place might be vulnerable even against older types of RPGs. The gap at the turret ring is rather small, which makes hitting it very unlikely - but there is no fancy composite armor, only a steel collar above the recessed turret ring. The gap between the turret and hull (above the turret ring) and the upper front plate would be the most vulnerable places of the hull. The Abrams' hull armor still has considerable thickness, so only the most powerful RPGs should have a chance at penetrating it. When the M1A2 was tested in Sweden, the hull did not meet the protection requirements without add-on armor, while the turret didn't require add-on armor. The hull is statistically hit less often than the turret, which leads to its armor usually not being upgraded as often. The hull on most tanks seems to be more vulnerable to anti-tank weapons, because it has thinner armor in case of most MBTs. So if any RPG has a chance at penetrating the turret front, then it should be at the gun shield. According to a 2006 report of the US Army, the gun shield also lacks any sort of DU armor, it is using less capable armor. In case of the Abrams for example, the armor module for the gun shield is just about a foot thick, while the rest of the turret front is covered by 2 to 3 feet thick armor (aside of a small section for the gun mount). Modern armor is extremely thick and heavy, but not all places can support the weight required for heavy armor and not all places have the space to add heavy armor.įor example the gun shield is a common weak spot on tanks, because it is impossible to add much armor there, as a heavy gun is harder to move and stabilize. The armor of modern tanks is very thick and heavy, but it is impossible to have an uniform level of armor protection at all places for various reasons. At some places, modern RPGs are most likely capable of piercing the armor of the Abrams.
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