Army orders as many as 21 of the latest main battle tanks in $59.1 million contract to General Dynamics
The M1A2 tank has a 120-millimeter main gun, weighs 63 tons, can travel at a top speed of 42 miles per hour, and has a crew of four.
The M1A2 System Enhancement Package version 1 (SEP V1) improvements -- which also are part of the SEP V2 tanks -- included digital control, second-generation thermal imaging systems for the commander's independent viewer (CITV) and gunner, and a gun sight that uses 2nd generation forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensors.
The main gun is stabilized to enable accurate fire on the move capability in day or night. The driver has a wide-field-of-view thermal driver vision enhancer (DVE) for driving and situational awareness.
The tank vetronics systems in the SEP V1 tanks include enhanced GPS and inertial position/navigation system, color, digital terrain map display, and eye-safe laser rangefinder. Radios include SINCGARS and Enhanced Position/Location Reporting System (EPLRS) supporting tactical situational awareness.
On-board systems connected on a MIL-STD-1553 digital databus, and include an on-board malfunction detection system. The SEP V1 tanks also have monolithic and composite armor and compartmented storage for fuel and ammunition. The turbine engine was upgraded to a multi-fuel system.
On the latest SEP V2 tank contract, General Dynamics will do the work in Lima, Ohio; Tallahassee, Fla.; Anniston, Ala.; Scranton, Pa.; and Sterling Heights, Mich., and should be finished by June 2013. Awarding the contract were officials of the Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command in Warren, Mich.
For more information contact General Dynamics Land Systems online at www.gdls.com, or the Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command at www.tacom.army.mil.