General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $9,592,666 modification (P00131) to contract W56HZV-17-C-0067 for Abrams Systems technical support. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2022. Fiscal 2019 and 2021 other procurement, Army funds; fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds; and fiscal 2021 Foreign Military Sales (Royal Saudi Land Forces) funds in the amount of $9,592,666 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
In June 2006, Saudi Arabia requested the foreign military sale of 58 M1A1 tanks and the upgrade of these and the 315 M1A2 already in the Royal Saudi Land Forces inventory to the M1A2S configuration. The US Army TACOM LCMC, on behalf of the Royal Saudi Land Forces, awarded a $187.5m contract to GDLS in September 2013, to upgrade 44 M1A1 and 40 M1A2 Abrams tanks to the Saudi M1A2 (M1A2S) configuration. In 2008, Saudi Arabia awarded a $58m contract to GDLS to design, develop, convert, implement and test a hybrid configuration of the M1A1, M1A2 and M1A2 SEP tank variants.
M1A1/2 Abrams main battle tank is manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). The first M1 tank was produced in 1978, the M1A1 in 1985 and the M1A2 in 1986. The first M1 Abrams battle tanks were delivered to the US Army in 1980. A total of 3,273 M1 tanks were produced for the US Army, 4,796 M1A1 tanks were built for the US Army, 221 for the US Marines and 880 co-produced with Egypt. For the M1A2 upgrade programme, more than 600 M1 Abrams tanks were upgraded to M1A2 configuration at the Lima Army tank plant between 1996 and 2001. Deliveries began in 1998.
