General Dynamics awarded $42m for Saudi tank work
General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, has been awarded two contracts with a combined value of $42.4 million for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's tank program. The contracts were awarded by the US Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command on behalf of the Royal Saudi Land Forces. This work is part of a plan by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to upgrade its entire fleet of 314 Abrams tanks.
The contracts, valued at $12.6 million and $29.8 million, respectively, will provide materials and labor for the conversion of 102 M1A2 tanks to an M1A2S configuration. The M1A2S conversion will increase the efficiency and capability of the tank.
Current employees at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio will perform the work. The estimated completion of 60 tanks is expected by August 30, 2012, and 42 tanks will be finished by September 30, 2012.
This contract continues work started in 2008 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.
Source: General Dynamics
More from Land Warfare
-
![Dedicated drone munitions could unlock modular mission potential]()
Dedicated drone munitions could unlock modular mission potential
Top attacks have proven effective against heavily armoured vehicles in Ukraine. A new family of uncrewed aerial system-delivered munitions is looking to press that advantage further.
-
![Elbit bets on local content for US howitzer bid as it faces off against popular systems]()
Elbit bets on local content for US howitzer bid as it faces off against popular systems
The Israeli company hopes that producing its Sigma artillery system wholly in the US will help it win a key US Army contract, but it will be up against the popular CAESAR Mk II wheeled weapon and the K9 tracked.
-
![Rheinmetall and KNDS tank tie-up narrows trans-European options]()
Rheinmetall and KNDS tank tie-up narrows trans-European options
The French and German governments signed an agreement in June 2018 to cooperate on the development of a new main battle tank under the Main Ground Combat System programme but the effort has struggled. This new agreement may damage it further.
