U.S. to sell General Dynamics tanks to Australia

[The Watcher]

U.S. to sell General Dynamics tanks to Australia

WASHINGTON, May 24 (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Monday said it planned to sell 59 General Dynamics Corp. (nyse: GD - news - people) M1A1 Abrams Integrated Management tanks and related equipment to Australia in a deal valued at up to $475 million.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it notified Congress about the deal on Friday, giving lawmakers 30 days in which to block the deal -- a move considered highly unlikely.

Under the deal, Australia would buy 59 tanks, 7 M88A1 medium recovery vehicles, 80 AN/VRC-92F dual long-range Single Channel Ground and Air Radio Systems, 146 night vision goggles, 73 M2 machine guns, and other equipment.

DSCA said the proposed sale would aid U.S. national security by helping improve Australia's security and enhancing its ability to operate jointly with U.S. Army and Marine Corps units for the next 25 years.

The M1A1/2 Abrams main battle tank is manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems, a unit of the Falls Church, Virginia-based company.

Other countries that operate the M1A1 Abrams tanks are Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Copyright 2004, Reuters News Service

 

[Pathfinder-X]

those leopard 1 tanks of australian army should be replaced soon. these tanks has been in service since the 1960's, it's about time they get a newer tank.
a little thing i heard from a armour battalion commander here in canada, in 1994 when the went to bosnia they weren't feeling very safe in their leopard 1 tanks, becuz the serbs got their domestic version of T-72 and canadian tanks were no match for them, at that time the armour platoon was advised not to engage serb tanks and wait for air support unless they been discovered.

 

[gf0012-aust]

those leopard 1 tanks of australian army should be replaced soon. these tanks has been in service since the 1960's, it's about time they get a newer tank.
a little thing i heard from a armour battalion commander here in canada, in 1994 when the went to bosnia they weren't feeling very safe in their leopard 1 tanks, becuz the serbs got their domestic version of T-72 and canadian tanks were no match for them, at that time the armour platoon was advised not to engage serb tanks and wait for air support unless they been discovered.

The Canadian tanks weren't uparmoured - hence the reluctance to use them against newer generation APSD's.

tactically a smart move. It was also the reason why australian MBT armour was not sent to Iraq.

 

[Aussie Digger]

That and the cost factor gf... Also we don't possess an entire brigade that could have been sent. We would have had to cobble together a "task force" that would have been severely deficient in terms of firepower, protection and mobility ( this was actually publicly admitted by our Chief of Army, pre-war!!!)and would have required significant support from the US, simply so that it wasn't a liability to the combat plan. I was also amused with our Prime Ministers's pre-war statements on Australia's military power. John Howard stood beside the NATO commander and announced that we could send an armoured brigade to an Iraq war. The NATO commander smiled when he said this, as did anyone who heard the speech with a little knowledge of Australian military matters... Unfortunately Mr Howard must not have been briefed by the ADF, before making this speech. There IS no armoured brigade in the ADF orbat. We do possess a light, understrength mechanised brigade, however this brigade only possesses a single infantry battalion, an artillery regiment with only 1 medium battery of guns and a tank regiment with only 2 squadrons of tanks. This formation would have only provided roughly 1/3rd of the strength of either a US Army/Marine Corps or UK armoured regiment, (not counting the lack of general capability of the Australian platforms compared to the US or UK formations) and was not wanted by the US or UK, because of it's lack of capability. In addition such a task force would not have been able to be relieved because we only possess the 1 understrength mechanised brigade. If we suffered any significant combat casualties we would have had to withdraw the force. A significant international embarrasment...

 

[gf0012-aust]

John Howard stood beside the NATO commander and announced that we could send an armoured brigade to an Iraq war. The NATO commander smiled when he said this, as did anyone

I had a little grin myself when I heard that one... for one brief shining moment the armoured guys must have thought that the budget was up for an overhaul...

 

[Pathfinder-X]

a picture taken in 1994 during operations in bosnia, as u can see the canadian leopard C1 MBT's armour was upgraded in preparation to take on serbian T-72s. but even wif upgrades, the tanks were still out-guned and out armoured.

after realizing their tanks force was obsolete after the bosnian conflict, efforts r underway to modernize all leopard C1 tanks into C2 configuration. changes mainly focus on providing better protection for the crew, includes glacis frontal armour plate, new side skirt, turret applique armour, new laser and thermal sight, and muzzle reference system.

anyone know wut upgrade did the aussies apply to their leopards??

 

[gf0012-aust]

anyone know wut upgrade did the aussies apply to their leopards??

we didn't. at one stage we were going to use some excess canadian kits but the deal fell through. there was also a dispute between ADI and the german suppliers so the process stalled and then collapsed.

 

[Pathfinder-X]

no wonder aussies didn't sent their tanks to iraq, it's not match for the T-72.
without upgrades, even a LAW could penetrate it's armour. a few canadian commanders have complained to DoD about the these old leopards we are using, but the DoD is determined to use these tanks until 2010, cheap bastards..............

 

[Aussie Digger]

M1A1 ABRAMS TANK AGREEMENT SIGNED

Australia has signed a formal agreement with the United States to buy a new fleet of M1A1 Abrams tanks, Defence Minister Robert Hill announced today.

Under this agreement, the US Government will provide 59 refurbished and updated M1A1 Abrams tanks, seven M88 Hercules Armoured Recovery vehicles, advanced gunnery and driver training simulators, training and other support equipment and a range of spares. This agreement is the central component of the $530m Abrams package which also includes tank transporters, refuelling vehicles and ammunition.

Delivery of the tanks and other equipment is expected in 2007. The majority will be operated by the 1st Armoured regiment in Darwin, with a smaller allocation to be allocated to training schools.

"The M1A1 Abrams tanks will provide a major increase in capability over the present Leopard tanks, particularly with their greater firepower and their potential to operate in a modern, networked communications environment," Senator Hill said.

"The new tanks will also provide our soldiers greatly increased levels of protection and survivability on the modern battlefield."

The tanks that will be provided to Australia have had relatively low usage and will be refurbished to "as new" condition. Many of their internal systems will be updated to incorporate the latest technology.

This upgrade work will start soon as part of a major tank refurbishment program being undertaken for the US military’s larger fleet of M1A1 tanks.

A particularly innovative dimension of the project is the purchase of advanced simulators for training tank crews. This is a new direction for the Australian Army, reflecting a major increase in commitment and investment in simulation to supplement and enhance training of armoured vehicle crews.

The Abrams can reach speeds of up to 66 km/h on Australian roads and up to
48 km cross country with a cruising range of up to 480 kms carrying four crew and ammunition. Each tank is equipped with a 120 mm smooth bore cannon as its primary weapon and a 50 calibre machine gun for the tank commander in addition to two 7.62 mm machine guns. They are capable of firing an advanced kinetic energy Tungsten penetrator against vehicles and a multi-purpose round for infantry support. They have also been designed to provide a level of protection for soldiers from nuclear, biological or chemical threats.

 

[Salman78]

So far the only export customers for M1A2 was some arab countries.
77 M1A2 tanks have been built for the US Army, 315 for Saudi Arabia and 218 for Kuwait. Around 600 of the older M1 will be upgraded to A2 standard. Its a pretty good tank but the only drawback is its weights. Its way to damn heavy!!!

 

[gf0012-aust]

So far the only export customers for M1A2 was some arab countries.
77 M1A2 tanks have been built for the US Army, 315 for Saudi Arabia and 218 for Kuwait. Around 600 of the older M1 will be upgraded to A2 standard. Its a pretty good tank but the only drawback is its weights. Its way to damn heavy!!!

Actually the M1A2 comes within 2 tonnes of a similarly equipped Chally2 or Leo2A6. Thw absolute weight is one of those urban myths that has taken on factual dimensions.
(and also because the russians don't make a heavy MBT in the mold of the "western" MBT's)

 

[Aussie Digger]

Well this project seems to be progressing nicely. A bit of a change for an Australian Defence contract but there you go...

United Defense Awarded $7.1 Million Contract to Manufacture M88A2 HERCULES Vehicles for Australia


(Source: United Defense; issued July 29, 2004)


YORK, Pa. --- United Defense Industries, Inc. has been awarded a $7.1 million contract modification from the U.S. Army's Tank-automotive and Armaments Command to fund the purchase of long-lead materials for the anticipated production of seven M88A2 HERCULES Foreign Military Sales vehicles for Australia.

"Australia is a new customer for the M88A2 HERCULES and we are looking forward to working with the Australian Government to ensure they get the best recovery system in the world," said John G. Tile, United Defense's Director of Recovery Systems.

The production contract for these vehicles is anticipated in the first quarter of 2005. Work on the vehicles will be performed at the company's York, Pa. facility.

United Defense designs, develops and produces combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, missile launchers and precision munitions used by the U.S. Department of Defense and allies worldwide, and provides non-nuclear ship repair, modernization and conversion to the U.S. Navy and other U.S. Government agencies.

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