GD awarded $45M to support Egyptian Abrams manufacture

The US TACOM Lifecycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems a $45 million contract for the Egyptian tank co-production programme.

Work to be performed under the contract includes manufacturing technical assistance on M1A1 Abrams tanks at the Egyptian tank plant and supplying component equipment such as tools, gauges, fixtures and machines. This award is in support of the tenth increment of the Egyptian co-production program.

General Dynamics has provided components for kits used in the co-production programme since 1992. The parts are shipped to a production facility near Cairo, Egypt, where the tanks are manufactured for the Egyptian Land Forces.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies reports that Egypt currently owns 755 Abrams MBT and fields a total fleet of 3505 tanks, mostly US M60 and Russian T62 as well as T54.  

A 2004 US report on armour in the Middle East noted that Egypt plans “for a total of 1500 M1s to be produced and fielded with the Egyptian Army.”

It adds that Cairo began integrating the M1 Abrams “into its military strategy in 1988 following the construction of Tank Assembly Plant 200 in Helwan just outside of Cairo.

“At a cost of about $1 billion, this plant was paid for largely with US foreign assistance dollars.

“The M1 is produced in Egypt under a licensed co-production agreement with General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). About 60% of each Egyptian M1 is manufactured by GDLS at plants in the US. The components then are shipped to Egypt in kits for final assembly and testing.

“The remaining 40% of each vehicle is produced locally in Egypt.”