Middle East: The tank race

[fitpOsitive]

Original link:
http://www.militaryaerospace.com/ar...786808b664e9808eb0c&eid=395056269&bid=1971769

Army orders upgrade to 786 Abrams battle tanks
January 11, 2018
By John Keller
Editor

WARREN, Mich. – Armored combat vehicle experts at General Dynamics Corp. will upgrade as many as 786 M1 Abrams main battle tanks and vetronics to the most advanced M1A2 SEPv3 configuration under terms of a $2.6 billion contract announced in late December.

Officials of the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Warren, Mich., are asking General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, Mich., to upgrade U.S. Army M1A1 tanks, as well as upgrade legacy M1A1 tanks to advanced versions for the armed forces of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The M1A2 SEPv3 main battle tank is the latest version of the M1 Abrams, and has increased power generation and distribution, better communications and networking, new vehicle health management system (VHMS), line replaceable modules (LRMs) for improved maintenance, and an ammunition datalink (ADL) to use airburst rounds.
Kuwait has asked for as many as 218 M1A1 tanks upgrade to M1A2-K configuration, which is a version of the Abrams tank configured specially for that country's armed forces.

Kuwait military leaders have asked for the 218 upgraded M1A2-K tanks, as well as 240 single-channel ground and airborne radio systems (SINCGARS); new Abrams tank cooling and thermal management systems; Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station (CROWS) II; second-generation forward looking infrared (FLIR) sights; embedded diagnostics; gunner’s primary sights; counter sniper and anti-materiel mount (CSAMM) hardware; and other tank support equipment.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has asked for as many as 153 M1A1 and M1A2 tanks upgraded to the M1A2S configuration designed for that country's armed forces. The Saudi tank request also includes 169 AN/VAS-5 driver vision enhancer-Abrams (DVE-A); 133 AN/PVS-7B night-vision devices; and other tank support equipment.

The M1A2 SEPv3 stands for system enhancement package version 3. This latest version of the M1A2 tank also offers an improved counter-improvised explosive device (IED) armor package, improved forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor using long- and mid-wave infrared, a low-profile Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS), and an auxiliary power unit (APU) under armor to run electronics without the engine running.

Prototypes of the M1A2 SEPv3 tank began testing in 2015, and are starting to enter service. Improvements to the SEPv3 version focus on increasing the electrical power; improving survivability; integrating the new Army network; electronic component improvements; new auxiliary power unit; and an ammunition data link.

The M1A2 SEPv3 is the next generation M1 tank version from the SEPv2, which focused on improved survivability, automotive power pack, computer systems, and night vision capabilities. The SEPv2 also offered improvements in the CROWS and ballistic solution upgrades for the M829A3 kinetic and the M1028 canister rounds.

Related: General Dynamics to upgrade 60 M1 Abrams battle tanks and vetronics to M1A2 SEPv3 configuration

The M1A2 SEPv2 has improved microprocessors, color flat-panel displays, improved memory capacity, better soldier-machine interface. and a new open operating system designed to run the Common Operating Environment software. The tank's gunner’s primary sight and the commander’s independent thermal viewer include the improved thermal imaging capabilities of the new Block I 2nd generation FLIR technology.

Army leaders intend the M1A2 SEPv3 to defeat and suppress enemy tanks, reconnaissance vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, anti-tank guns, guided missile launchers, bunkers, infantry, and helicopters.

On this contract General Dynamics will do the work at locations depending on each order, and should be finished by December 2020. For more information contact General Dynamics Land Systems online at www.gdls.com, or the Army Contracting Command in Warren, Mich., at http://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-wrn.

P.S The irony is: One supplier, supplying both sides.
Yeh chez mere aziz.

 

[fitpOsitive]

@waz
Please delete this thread. Posted multiple threads due to bad internet connection.

 

[Georg]

isnt the latest version of the M1 the one with Trophy for US troops in Europe?

would have israel a problem if they want to update the M1 with Trophy?

 

[DavidSling]

isnt the latest version of the M1 the one with Trophy for US troops in Europe?

would have israel a problem if they want to update the M1 with Trophy?

Well, Trophy one should become obsolete soon with the coming Trophy two version, I guess Israel won't have problem to sell them to "allied" arab armies then.
Altho, If there'll an Iran-gulf war in the future, I think Iron fist will be better fit for them

 

[Georg]

Well, Trophy one should become obsolete soon with the coming Trophy two version, I guess Israel won't have problem to sell them to "allied" arab armies then.
Altho, If there'll an Iran-gulf war in the future, I think Iron fist will be better fit for them

any key data avaible for Trophy 2?

 

[DavidSling]

any key data avaible for Trophy 2?

Well, it is said to be able to defeat kinetic rounds, while keeping the automatic reloading.
Should also have higher elevation interception.
Seems like Rafael and IMI will compete for the production tho

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Well, Trophy one should become obsolete soon with the coming Trophy two version, I guess Israel won't have problem to sell them to "allied" arab armies then.
Altho, If there'll an Iran-gulf war in the future, I think Iron fist will be better fit for them

As if wealthy Arab states (GCC) will ever buy old crap let alone from Israel of all countries. Is this some kind of bad and hilarious joke? You have no Arab allies. Are you referring to Egypt and Jordan because those are the only candidates and that is even far-fetched.

No such war will take place. If it takes place you and the US will take part as well. Don't kid yourself. Such a hypothetical war will be quick (GCC will win due to superior firepower, many times larger economy, more resources, significantly bigger landmass) and remain limited to air and naval engagements with the occasional missiles from both sides. There will be no long bloody land invasion of either party as neither party can conquer the other nowadays.

Worry about your tiny country and apartheid state instead of trolling the peaceful Arab section with utter nonsense.

 

[Georg]

iron fist has a pretty slow speed if it can intercept only up to one mile/sec moving targets... means every modern KE round is to fast...

I still think that the guys from Rheinmetall are right claiming that all companys claiming their hard kill systems have any effect on KE rounds are liars... the Rheinmetal ADS system can intercept targets up to 2.200m/s at the momet by far the highest possible speed (iron fist 1600m/s, Afghanit 1700m/s) ... the guys from Rheinmetall claim that the normal counter load on Afghanit, Trophy or any other current hard kill system lacks the mass to have any effect on a 1800m/s moving KE round...

I want to see a video were a had kill system has any effect on a KE round... have not seen a single one...

 

[DavidSling]

As if wealthy Arab states (GCC) will ever buy old crap let alone from Israel of all countries. Is this some kind of bad and hilarious joke? You have no Arab allies. Are you referring to Egypt and Jordan because those are the only candidates and that is even far-fetched.

No such war will take place. If it takes place you and the US will take part as well. Don't kid yourself. Such a war will be quick (GCC will win due to superior firepower, many times larger economy, more resources, significantly bigger landmass) and remain limited to air and naval engagements with the occasional missiles from both sides. There will be no long bloody land invasion of either party as neither party can conquer the other nowadays.

Worry about your tiny country and apartheid state instead of trolling the peaceful Arab section with utter nonsense.

I was answering a question asked by a fellow member.
As for old, the U.S is equiping it's tanks with the system, so it's surely not "old"
as for trolling, u're the one who's going off discussion here. It would be logical to go with APS purchased by the U.S for U.S tanks, as they're compatible with the said system.

iron fist has a pretty slow speed if it can intercept only up to one mile/sec moving targets... means every modern KE round is to fast...

I still think that the guys from Rheinmetall are right claiming that all companys claiming their hard kill systems have any effect on KE rounds are liars... the Rheinmetal ADS system can intercept targets up to 2.200m/s at the momet by far the highest possible speed (iron fist 1600m/s, Afghanit 1700m/s) ... the guys from Rheinmetall claim that the normal counter load on Afghanit, Trophy or any other current hard kill system lacks the mass to have any effect on a 1800m/s moving KE round...

I want to see a video were a had kill system has any effect on a KE round... have not seen a single one...

That's what the company said, U.S is said to evaluate the system
IRON FIST
Soft & Hard Kill Active Protection System against RPG, ATGM, HEAT & KE Rounds:

• Soft-Kill – directional electro-optic (E/O) jammer and instantaneous smoke screen
• Hard-Kill – blast interceptor initiated against incoming threats at a safe distance from the protected platform
• Wide coverage with minimal weight and integration requirements
• 360° radar & IR-based situational awareness
• Protection against the full spectrum of Anti-Tank threats: RPGs, ATGMs, HEAT & KE tank cartridges
• Defeats short range ATRs (RPGs) in open and urban environments
• Automatically identifies enemy firing positions and enables rapid counter-fire

 

[Saif al-Arab]

I was answering a question asked by a fellow member.
As for old, the U.S is equiping it's tanks with the system, so it's surely not "old"
as for trolling, u're the one who's going off discussion here. It would be logical to go with APS purchased by the U.S for U.S tanks, as they're compatible with the said system.

Are you drunk? I have not slept for 30 hours (due to business-related issues) in a row yet I have not yet turned blind.

"Well, Trophy one should become obsolete soon with the coming Trophy two version, I guess Israel won't have problem to sell them to "allied" arab armies then."
​

Where should I begin to tackle this nonsense in detail?

Which "Arab allies" are you talking about again? Arab is spelled with a capital letter btw. Not that difficult.

Yes, I am sure that it will be logical to buy obsolete versions directly from Israel (WTF?) and not the actual producer or a non-obsolete version (by then). After all the likes of KSA cannot afford anything nor is the indigenous Saudi Arabian industry nowhere to be seen either. Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 and the new purchase policy of a minimum degree of ToT and a degree of localization, is likewise a hoax. The US is the only major ally of KSA as well and the only option for all eternity.

@The SC

 

[DavidSling]

Are you drunk? I have not slept for 30 hours (due to business-related issues) in a row yet I have not yet turned blind.

"Well, Trophy one should become obsolete soon with the coming Trophy two version, I guess Israel won't have problem to sell them to "allied" arab armies then."
​

Where should I begin to tackle this nonsense in detail?

Which "Arab allies" are you talking about again? Arab is spelled with a capital letter btw. Not that difficult.

Yes, I am sure that it will be logical to buy obsolete versions directly from Israel (WTF?) and not the actual producer or a non-obsolete version (by then). After all the likes of KSA cannot afford anything nor is the indigenous Saudi Arabian industry nowhere to be seen either. Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 and the new purchase policy of a minimum degree of ToT and a degree of localization, is likewise a hoax. The US is the only major ally of KSA as well and the only option for all eternity.

@The SC

Trophy and Iron fist are and will stay Israeli made system, hence the logic to buy from Israel.
U could also buy from the U.S but it will too will require Israeli approval.
We could argue about allied or not, at the end of the day, I don't give a shit. I came here to talk about the system and not politics

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Trophy and Iron fist are and will stay Israeli made system, hence the logic to buy from Israel.
U could also buy from the U.S but it will too will require Israeli approval.
We could argue about allied or not, at the end of the day, I don't give a shit. I came here to talk about the system and not politics

Neither KSA nor any Arab country will buy Israeli made systems unless you end your apartheid system, occupation and illegal settlements as per international law.

Tanks are soon going to be obsolete by large anyway nor is anyone ever going to conquer KSA (a country the size of Western Europe combined with an incredibly challenging geography (heavily mountains and deserts) by conducting a land invasion. It has never happened in recorded history either. Only 3 countries in the world are capable of such a monumental feat and they are US, China and Russia. Neither is even remotely realistic.

You came here to troll thinking that non-existing "Arab allies" will buy your old crap directly from you or at all. Wishful thinking.

 

[The SC]

Are you drunk? I have not slept for 30 hours (due to business-related issues) in a row yet I have not yet turned blind.

"Well, Trophy one should become obsolete soon with the coming Trophy two version, I guess Israel won't have problem to sell them to "allied" arab armies then."
​

Where should I begin to tackle this nonsense in detail?

Which "Arab allies" are you talking about again? Arab is spelled with a capital letter btw. Not that difficult.

Yes, I am sure that it will be logical to buy obsolete versions directly from Israel (WTF?) and not the actual producer or a non-obsolete version (by then). After all the likes of KSA cannot afford anything nor is the indigenous Saudi Arabian industry nowhere to be seen either. Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 and the new purchase policy of a minimum degree of ToT and a degree of localization, is likewise a hoax. The US is the only major ally of KSA as well and the only option for all eternity.

@The SC

I've been reading this Usraeli non-sense for a while.. they don't seem to understand much about the field realities.. they are mostly after our money..just like the others! ..Just too much greed..This phenomena has started _if you have noticed_ with the $110 billion arms deal with the US//So hopefully they'll come to realise that we don't need anything from them as far as weapons and their technologies are concerned.. We only ask them to make real peace in the region by agreeing to a Palestinian state.. after a while and further down the line there might be cooperation and mutually beneficial exchanges..atleast at the civilian level.. otherwise.. there is no magical key to open deals with Usrael..

 

[DavidSling]

Neither KSA nor any Arab country will buy Israeli made systems unless you end your apartheid system, occupation and illegal settlements as per international law.

Tanks are soon going to be obsolete by large anyway nor is anyone ever going to conquer KSA (a country the size of Western Europe combined with an incredibly challenging geography (heavily mountains and deserts) by conducting a land invasion. It has never happened in recorded history either. Only 3 countries in the world are capable of such a monumental feat and they are US, China and Russia. Neither is even remotely realistic.

You came here to troll thinking that non-existing "Arab allies" will buy your old crap directly from you or at all. Wishful thinking.

U.S is buying our "Crap", China bought our "Crap" and Russia bought our "Crap".
While u can't make anything on ur own and rellying on U.S to supply u weaponery (Hence the 300k billion weaponery deal).
Logicly speaking,your arguement makes no sense, as U.S is buying our weapons and u're buying weapons from the U.S, so at the end of the day, if the U.S is buying crap, and u're buying from the U.S, well, u see where it's going.
I don't give a shit of the failed and full of hatred arab world, which is in War with itself more than with anyone else.
Have a nice day (or not), bye bye

 

[Saif al-Arab]

U.S is buying our "Crap", China bought our "Crap" and Russia bought our "Crap".
While u can't make anything on ur own and rellying on U.S to supply u weaponery (Hence the 300k billion weaponery deal).
Logicly speaking,your arguement makes no sense, as U.S is buying our weapons and u're buying weapons from the U.S, so at the end of the day, if the U.S is buying crap, and u're buying from the U.S, well, u see where it's going.
I don't give a shit of the failed and full of hatred arab world, which is in War with itself more than with anyone else.
Have a nice day (or not), bye bye

If 1 million highly educated Europeans pretending to be Arabs became Saudi Arabians or Arab nationals overnight 70 years ago, if we had full Western political and military backing 24/7 for 70 years (basically being the darlings of the West to such an extent that apartheid behavior and seizure of foreign land illegally was and is welcomed and even openly encouraged), received billions of dollars in military aid yearly etc. and began as early, we would probably have been right there next to you since history proves this clear as it was once the Arab world (for many millennia in fact) and our ancestors that were the most technology advanced people in the world.

The deal was worth 110 billion USD. Not 300 billion USD.

Try again.

https://twitter.com/x/status/865937500610723841

Well, you are an Arab Jew from Iraq or wherever you claimed to come from so you are just shooting yourself in the foot.

No hatred. The only hatred I see is the 21st century Israeli apartheid system, illegal land theft and perpetual financial and political aid from the US and West (Europe and in particular Germany still feeling guilt for murdering 6 million European Jews that Palestinian Arabs had nothing to do with).

KSA and the GCC is completely stable. More stable than tiny Israel.

Well, you should show me any "Israeli-made" parts that KSA uses. Please go ahead and educate us all.