Post by Admin on Dec 8, 2019 0:21:01 GMT
Does an M1 Abrams tank have a toilet inside, if not, what does a crew member need to do if he has to go to the toilet?
No, the M1 Abrams tank does not have a toilet inside.
How and where an Abrams crew member voids waste will depend on what is going on, exactly. In the vast majority of cases, there is not going to be an issue with dismounting and walking to the latrine (requiring gearing up with the Kevlar and LBE … oh, crap, I just totally dated myself, didn’t I?) and waddling over to use the facilities. This is the normal circumstance in garrison and during gunnery training. During a maneuver FTX, answering the call of nature is usually done by notifying whatever crew member(s) need to be notified (the TC and/or driver, in most cases), dismounting, and taking care of business.
The latter is also the most common method in either offensive or defensive combat operations. Really the only time that it would be infeasible or not recommended to dismount and eliminate would mostly be in circumstances where the ongoing flood of epinephrine would be putting the (temporary) kibosh on GI tract and kidney function anyway—during a firefight, or in the middle of a movement to contact or other offensive operation where enemy forces could be encountered at any time. Even during these, though, there will almost always be refueling operations at some point, and the experienced tanker takes advantage of these—not just for bathroom activities, but for repositioning rations, changing articles of clothing such as socks, underwear, t-shirts, et cetera, and replenishing personal stocks of pogey bait, batteries, grabbing reading or writing materials, that kind of thing.
In the extremely unlikely event that it is impossible or extremely dangerous to dismount for waste elimination operations, empty water bottles can be used for liquid, with empty MRE bags for solid waste. Empty ammo cans can also be used for either of these.
No, the M1 Abrams tank does not have a toilet inside.
How and where an Abrams crew member voids waste will depend on what is going on, exactly. In the vast majority of cases, there is not going to be an issue with dismounting and walking to the latrine (requiring gearing up with the Kevlar and LBE … oh, crap, I just totally dated myself, didn’t I?) and waddling over to use the facilities. This is the normal circumstance in garrison and during gunnery training. During a maneuver FTX, answering the call of nature is usually done by notifying whatever crew member(s) need to be notified (the TC and/or driver, in most cases), dismounting, and taking care of business.
The latter is also the most common method in either offensive or defensive combat operations. Really the only time that it would be infeasible or not recommended to dismount and eliminate would mostly be in circumstances where the ongoing flood of epinephrine would be putting the (temporary) kibosh on GI tract and kidney function anyway—during a firefight, or in the middle of a movement to contact or other offensive operation where enemy forces could be encountered at any time. Even during these, though, there will almost always be refueling operations at some point, and the experienced tanker takes advantage of these—not just for bathroom activities, but for repositioning rations, changing articles of clothing such as socks, underwear, t-shirts, et cetera, and replenishing personal stocks of pogey bait, batteries, grabbing reading or writing materials, that kind of thing.
In the extremely unlikely event that it is impossible or extremely dangerous to dismount for waste elimination operations, empty water bottles can be used for liquid, with empty MRE bags for solid waste. Empty ammo cans can also be used for either of these.
