General Dynamics Awarded $19 Million for Saudi conversion tank Abrams M1A to M1A2 Saudi Arabian army

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Defense Industry News - General Dynamics
 

Tuesday, 7 December 2010, 09:40 AM
 
General Dynamics Awarded $19 Million for Saudi conversion tank Abrams M1A to M1A2.
 
 
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), was awarded an additional $19 million to convert 15 of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s M1A1 tanks into the M1A2S model. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command on behalf of the Royal Saudi Land Forces.
     

United States US Army M1A1 Abrams main battle tank
     

The M1A2S vehicles will possess defined capabilities that increase lethality while limiting obsolescence. The work will be performed by current employees at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2012.

     

United States US Army M1A2 Abrams main battle tank
     

M1A2: Production began in 1992 (77 built for the US and more than 600 M1s upgraded to M1A2, 315 for Saudi Arabia, 218 for Kuwait). The M1A2 offers the tank commander an independent thermal sight and ability to, in rapid sequence, shoot at two targets without the need to acquire each one sequentially, also 2nd generation depleted uranium armor mesh.

This contract is an addition to a $58 million contract awarded in 2008, and modified in 2009, for General Dynamics to design, develop, convert, implement and test a hybrid configuration of the M1A1, M1A2 and M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP) tank variants for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The 2009 award of $17.6 million was for the purchase of long lead materials for the 15-tank conversion.