Allison continues Abrams MBT support

Allison Transmission has received a $3.6 million engineering contract to support continuous improvement of the US Army fleet of Abrams MBTs.

The engineering programme ‘builds upon previous analysis and evaluates the X1100-3B1 transmission and final drive changes necessary to expand the Abrams’ performance edge in speed, cruising range and durability’, Allison Transmission noted in a 9 February statement.

Shephard Defence Insight notes that the X1100 transmission permits a maximum road speed of 68km/h on the standard M1A2 Abrams variant.

Dana Pittard, VP for defence programmes at the Indianapolis-based company, said: ‘Enhancements and upgrades to this battle-tested design will support the Army’s needs for decades to come.’

The Abrams MBT has been subjected to continuous capability improvements since its introduction in the 1980s, with Allison engineers working closely alongside US Army programme managers to maintain and enhance the transmission.

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