Allison Transmission, a leading designer and manufacturer of conventional and electrified vehicle propulsion solutions for tactical wheeled and tracked defense vehicles, and medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, has been awarded a $51 million contract for the X1100-3B1 transmission and technical support for the Abrams Main Battle Tank used by the U.S. Army and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Allison’s unique qualifications and experience with the development, testing and production of heavy-duty cross-drive transmissions have reduced risk to the U.S. Army as they’ve navigated the pandemic and unprecedented economic conditions. Allison’s innovative approach and best practices provide the Army with greater affordability to reinvest in readiness, which are benefits other manufacturers have been unable to achieve. Deliveries and technical support under this contract will begin in January 2023 and continue through March 2024.
“Allison is proud of our relationships with the U.S. Army and the world’s finest defense vehicle manufacturers. Our internal investments have led to growth in the defense end market with new contracts in the last six months for Abrams, the U.S. Army’s newest light tank (Mobile Protected Firepower), M88A3 HERCULES and India’s Future Infantry Combat Vehicle,” said Pittard. “The future is very exciting as Allison will have a new defense production program launch every year for the next several years.”
“The Abrams is the most prevalent main battle tank in the free world, and the recent announcement of defense sales expanding to Taiwan, Australia and Poland increases its presence to eight U.S. partner nations. Allison is proud to support the U.S. Army and our global customers today and for decades to come,” said Dana Pittard, Vice President for Defense Programs, Allison Transmission.
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. It introduced several modern technologies to US armored forces, including a multifuel turbine engine, sophisticated Chobham composite armor, a computer fire control system, separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment, and NBC protection for crew safety. The M1 Abrams’s powertrain consists of a Honeywell AGT1500 (originally made by Lycoming) multifuel gas turbine capable of 1,500 shaft horsepower at 30,000 rpm and 395 lb?ft at 10,000 rpm and a six-speed (four forward, two reverse) Allison X-1100-3B Hydro-Kinetic automatic transmission. This gives it a governed top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) on paved roads, and 30 mph (48 km/h) cross-country. With the engine governor removed, speeds of around 60 mph (97 km/h) are possible on an improved surface.
Allison Transmission is a leading designer and manufacturer of propulsion solutions for commercial and defense vehicles and the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions that Improve the Way the World Works. Allison products are used in a wide variety of applications, including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (school, transit and coach), motorhomes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (energy, mining and construction applications) and defense vehicles (tactical wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. With a presence in more than 150 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil, manufacturing facilities in the USA, Hungary and India, as well as global engineering resources, including electrification engineering centers in Indianapolis, Indiana, Auburn Hills, Michigan and London in the United Kingdom. Allison also has more than 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide.