The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Poland of M1A2 SEPv3 Main Battle Tanks and related equipment for an estimated cost of $6.0 billion. The proposed sale will improve Poland’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force that is capable of deterring adversaries and participating in NATO operations. Poland will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces. This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The principal contractors will be General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, MI; BAE Systems, York, PA; Leonardo DRS, Arlington, VA; Honeywell Aerospace, Phoenix, AZ; Raytheon Company, McKinney, TX; and Lockheed Martin, Orlando, FL.
The Government of Poland has requested to buy two hundred fifty (250) M1A2SEPv3 Abrams Main Battle tanks; two hundred fifty (250) AN/VLQ-12 CREW Duke counter-IED systems; twenty-six (26) M88A2 HERCULES Combat Recovery vehicles; seventeen (17) M1110 joint assault bridges; two hundred seventy-six (276) M2 .50 caliber machine guns; five hundred (500) M240C 7.62mm machine guns; fifteen (15) AGT1500 gas turbine engines; nine thousand one hundred sixty-eight (9,168) 120mm M865 Target Practice, Cone Stabilized, Discarding Sabot – Tracer (TPCSDS-T) cartridges; four thousand five hundred ninety-two (4,592) 120mm M1002 Target Practice Multipurpose Tracer (TPMP-T) projectiles; thirteen thousand nine hundred twenty (13,920) 120mm M830A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) TP-T cartridges; and six thousand nine hundred sixty (6,960) 120mm XM1147 High Explosive multipurpose tracers. Also included are forward repair systems; trailer mounted generators; Common Remote Operated Weapons Station Low Profile (CROWS-LP); communications equipment; GPS receivers; ammunition; spare and repair parts.
The M1A2 Abrams SEP V3 retains the layout of the M1A2 with the driver’s cab at the forward centre hull, turret in the middle and power-pack at the rear. The tank integrates joint tactical radio system (JTRS) handheld and small form fit radio to ensure network readiness and interoperation with future brigade combat teams (BCTs). The main battle tank measures 9.7m-long, 3.7m-wide and 2.4m-high, and is manned by a crew of four, including a driver, a commander, a loader and a gunner. The 73.6-ton tank has a crew of four and can go 42 miles on a road and 30 miles per hour cross-country. Inside every SEP v.3 main battle tank is an imbedded trainer that allows the Troopers to get repetitions in while the main battle tank is stationary rather than moving to a new location to conduct simulated training. The M1A2 Abrams SEP v3 (System Enhanced Package) is a modernized version of the M1A2 SEPV v2 main battle tank that benefits from a number of upgrades in the areas of survivability, maintainability, full efficiency and network capability.
The primary mission of the M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP) V3 Abrams is to provide mobile, protected firepower for combined-arms maneuver and wide-area security. This improvement in lethality for the Abrams M1A2 SEP V3 derives from the combination of developmental upgrades and the addition of mature technologies that include the Ammunition DataLink (ADL), improved 120mm ammunition, Improved Forward-Looking Infrared (IFLIR) and the low-profile (LP) Common Remotely Operated Weapon System (CROWS). The imbedded trainer is one of many modernizations made to the tank, but it’s not the only thing that makes it superior to its predecessors. There are updated firing systems that help build combat power as well. The Troopers will soon take the tanks to the field and conduct gunnery live-fire exercises where they will have the chance to prove themselves as the most lethal armored brigade in the world.
