Breaking news
American-made M1A1 SA Abrams tank officially entered into service with Moroccan army 12907162.
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Defence & Security News - Morocco
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American-made M1A1 SA Abrams tank officially entered into service with Moroccan army.
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According a video report from Moroccan television Medi 1 TV, July 26, 2016, during an official ceremony the Moroccan army has officially announced that the American-made M1A1 SA Abrams main battle tank is entered in service with its armed forces.
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 Screen shot of Media 1 Tv video report with M1A1 SA Abrams main battle tank during the official ceremony, July 26, 2016. |
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In June 2012, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco for enhancement and refurbishment of 200 M1A1 Abrams tanks and associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training for an estimated cost of $1.015 billion.
In September 2015, the U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command has announced a $358 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract for General Dynamics Land Systems to refurbish and upgrade 150 M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks to the M1A1 SA (situational awareness) configuration for sale to the Kingdom of Morocco. Under the M1A1 SA program, the main battle tanks were completely disassembled and overhauled to a like-new, zero-mile condition. The M1A1s for Morocco are configured with armor upgrades and additional mission-critical technologies to bolster crew situational awareness. This package of M1A1 tank enhancements will contribute to the modernization of Morocco’s tank fleet, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats. These tanks will contribute to Morocco’s goal of updating its military capability while further enhancing interoperability with the U.S. and other allies. With these new tanks, the Kingdom of Morocco modernize its military fleet and has received M1A1 Abram main battle tanks from the U.S. Army as part of a foreign military sales case coordinated by the Army Security Assistance Command. The case includes associated spare parts, equipment, logistical support and training. The Abrams Tank Upgrade includes two powerful variants, the M1A1 SA (Situational Awareness) and the M1A2 SEP (System Enhancement Program) version 2. The M1A1 SA is an upgrade version of the basic M1A1 model with the goal to produce older units to zero hour conditions. The M1A1 SA uses the same main armament as the standard version of M1A1 main battle tank. The M1A1 SA is armed with the 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun. The main 120 mm smoothbore M256 armament is equipped with a muzzle reference system to measure the bend of the gun tube. Mounted coaxially to the right of the main armament is a 7.62 mm M240 machine gun, and a similar weapon skate-mounted on the left side of the turret for the loader can be elevated from -30 to +65º, total traverse being 265º. A total of 11,400 rounds of 7.62 mm machine gun ammunition is carried. A first batch of 22 M1A SA Abrams main, battle tanks have already been delivered to the Moroccan armed forces. |
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