Egyptian Ground Forces

Securing the satellite communications for units after Egypt has already launched it's own military satellite.

Egypt Plans to Upgrade M1A1 Abrams Tanks

On December 20, 2024, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) sent a notification to the U.S. Congress about the planned implementation of a program to upgrade 555 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks of the Egyptian Army to the M1A1SA level and supply related equipment under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The modernization and supply program has been approved by the U.S. Department of State. The estimated cost of the tank modernization program is $ 4.69 billion.

According to the notification, the modernization program includes the delivery to Egypt of 555 sets of the AN/VAS-5B Driver Vision Enhancer (DVE-A) thermal imaging device for the driver, 555 sets of the Thermal Imaging System (TIS) thermal imaging sight for the gunner, as well as AGT-1500 gas turbine tank engines, X-1100 transmissions and various other equipment and components, as well as the provision of design and engineering and technical support, etc.

The general contractor for the modernization of Egyptian M1A1 Abrams tanks will be the General Dynamics Land Systems division of General Dynamics. Direct work on the overhaul and modernization of the tanks will be carried out at the Egyptian state tank plant No. 200 in Helwan (a southern suburb of Cairo).

Let us recall that Egypt received 1,130 M1A1 Abrams tanks under the 1984 FMS agreement, of which the first 25 tanks were delivered in 1990-1991 as complete units from the United States, and the remaining 1,105 were assembled from 1992 to 2020 at Tank Plant No. 200 in Helwan, built under this agreement, from 11 batches of vehicle kits supplied by the American side. The first 75 tanks were assembled there from conventional vehicle kits (SKD), and the remaining 1,030 from СКD vehicle kits, which provide for welding and assembly of the hull and turret. The agreement for the delivery of the last 11th batch of 125 vehicle kits of M1A1 tanks was concluded in 2011, with their assembly to be completed in Egypt in 2020. In fact, the entire program of supplying and producing M1A1 tanks in Egypt was paid for by the US military aid to Egypt, and apparently the announced program to upgrade 555 of these tanks to the M1A1SA level will be financed in the same way.


A 2018 video from the Egyptian Ministry of Defense, showing, among other things, the assembly of M1A1 Abrams tanks at the Egyptian state tank factory No. 200 in Helwan:



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