The "Iron Fist" open edition print by Rene Borst, depicts the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank in action in the burning oil fields of Kuwait in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. The Abrams, unproven after 10 years from the time it first entered service in the early 1980's quickly showed its strengths in battle against the Iraqi's T-72 Soviet made main battle tank counterpart. Among the many great attributes of the M1 was its thermal sighting system which allowed the crew to acquire and knock out targets in the darkness of night and in the blackened, smoke clogged deserts of Kuwait. The Abrams had remarkable success during the conflict and maintained operational readiness of over 90% of the 1,800 plus in theater and only 9 lost in battle.