Must Be Kidding

Jane's 'reports' below.

Didn't bother to say why they 'need' these.

Or, note that the U.S. tax payer paid for it.

Did we get them to sign an agreement promising not
to crush pro-democracy protesters with them???

More M1A1 Abrams MBTs for Egypt

KIM BURGER JDW Staff Reporter
Washington DC
Additional reporting CHRISTOPHER F FOSS
JDW Land Forces Editor
London

The US Department of Defense is considering a request from Egypt to add an additional 100 General Dynamics Land Systems M1A1 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) worth an estimated $590 million to its co-production programme (Jane's Defence Weekly 15 December 1999).

In addition to the 100 M1A1 platforms, Egypt has also requested 100 120mm M256 smooth bore tank guns (made by Watervliet Arsenal), 100 0.50 cal (12.7mm) M2 machine guns, 200 7.62 mm M240 machine guns, 12 5.56 mm M16A2 rifles plus other associated spare parts and training equipment.

The Egyptian Tank Plant (ETP) (Factory 200) completed assembly of the last of 555 General Dynamics Land Systems M1A1 MBTs late in 1998 and it was expected that these would be followed by a further 200 vehicles. However, production was not resumed and the gap was filled by the co-production of 50 of the latest United Defense LP M88A2 Hercules armoured recovery vehicles (ARV). Hulls are supplied from United Defense together with other sub-systems, with final assembly taking place in Egypt. The first vehicles have already been handed over to the Egyptian Army. The M88A2 ARV, which has been designed to recover heavier armoured vehicles such as the M1A1 MBT, is an upgraded version of the older M88A1 of which 221 were supplied to Egypt by the USA.

The second batch of 200 M1A1 MBTs was subsequently split into two of 100 vehicle batches each. Early last year General Dynamics Land Systems finally received authorisation for another 100 M1A1 vehicles with sub-systems to be supplied to the ETP from 2001 through to 2003.

This latest proposed order will bring the Egyptian M1A1 MBT fleet up to 755. The enhanced M1A2 is used by Kuwait (218) and Saudi Arabia (315) with these coming from General Dynamics Land Systems Lima production line.

The M1A1s serve alongside the older General Dynamics Land Systems M60 series MBTs armed with a 105mm gun. A total of 559 brand new M60A3s were supplied, and additional 700 ex-US Army M60A1s were delivered to Egypt between 1990 and 1991.

As new MBTs enter the Egyptian inventory, older Russian supplied MBTs are scrapped so that the overall size of the Egyptian Army tank fleet remains the same.