March 22, 2011: The U.S. Army has ordered another 45,000 120mm tank gun training rounds, costing about $1,200 each. These rounds are cheaper than the combat rounds, because they do not need the expensive metals and fabrication required for maximum penetration. Two thirds of the rounds are M865 armor piercing rounds. The rest are M1002 multi-purpose (for use against troops and armored vehicles). These training rounds are also designed with features that make them safer to use in training.

Although very few American tanks are in combat, now with most U.S. troops withdrawn from Iraq, there are still several thousand M1 tank crews who need annual gunnery training. The more rounds fired each year, the more skilled the crew is in combat. Each M1 battalion fires over 2,000 of these training rounds per year. American M1 battalions have 45 tanks each.