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Exeter
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Harkonnen
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29.09.2006 19:08:39
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Рубрики
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Современность; Танки;
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Спасибо, я это знаю :-))
Вот свежая статейка про контракты на оснащение "Абрамсов" этой фигней.
INTERNATIONAL DEFENCE REVIEW - OCTOBER 01, 2006
US Army Abrams stay on track
Michael J Gething
August 2006 saw an outburst of upgrade-related activity directed towards the US Army's fleet of M1-series of Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs), emphasising the continued usefulness and utility of the vehicle.
The most recent contracts involved the procurement of 505 Tank Urban Survivability Kits (TUSK) supporting Operation 'Iraqi Freedom', announced on 29 August 2006, and the continued production of reactive armour tile sets, announced on 28 August.
The TUSK contract, worth USD45 million and awarded to General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) of Sterling Heights, Michigan, is an add-on kit for M1A1 and M1A2-series tanks to enhance crew survivability in urban environments.
Initially shown in February 2005 at the Association of the US Army Winter Symposium at Fort Lauderdale, Florida (see IDR 4/2005, p33), TUSK consists of a loader's armour gun shield, a tank-infantry phone, Abrams Reactive Armour Tiles (ARAT), a remote thermal sight and a power distribution box. Work is expected to be complete by April 2009.
The contract for the production of the ARAT sets, valued at USD30 million was awarded to General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products (Burlington, Vermont) by the US Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) of Picatinny, New Jersey. Work will be completed by August 2009.
On 11 August GDLS received a USD108 million for the production of 155 M1A1 MBTs through the Abrams Integrated Management (AIM) process. This is a joint effort to refurbish M1A1s involving the US Army Project Manager for Heavy Brigade Combat Team, the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, the Anniston Army Depot, (Anniston, Alabama) and GDLS. Under the AIM programme, M1A1 Abrams tanks are completely disassembled and overhauled to a like-new, zero-mile condition.
These MBTs should offer lower operational and support costs and report higher operational readiness rates. They are scheduled for re-delivery to US Army units from July 2007.
On 7 August, the company also received a USD134.6 million contract to upgrade 60 M1A2 versions of the Abrams to the System Enhancement Package (SEP) configuration (M1A2 SEP), with a USD145 million option for a further 60. Delivery of the first 60 vehicles should begin in November 2007. If the option is exercised, delivery will begin a year later.
The M1A2 SEP is a fully digitised platform with a new command-and-control system, second-generation thermal sights and improved armour. This retrofit is part of an overall M1A2 tank upgrade programme that integrates enhanced command-and-control features (such as colour maps and displays), networked communications, high-density computer memory and increased microprocessing speed.
August began with an award to GDLS, worth USD46 million, in partnership with the Anniston Army Depot, to provide long-lead parts to support the reset of 72 M1A2 MBTs after a period of operational service. This programme, to begin in 2007, involves service, repair and modification of vehicles to a pre-combat condition, and modifications to bring the tanks to the latest configuration.
С уважением, Exeter