NEWTOWN, Conn. -- On September 18, 2020, the U.S. Army Contracting Command (Detroit Arsenal, MI) awarded General Dynamics Land Systems (Sterling Heights, MI) a $14,305,952 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (W56HZV-20-C-0216) for receipt, inspection, diagnosis, repair, testing, storage, issue and unique identification marking to parts for the M1A1/M1A2 Abrams tank, M2A3/M3A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the M104 Wolverine platforms. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Fort Hood, Texas; Anniston, Alabama; Sterling Heights, Michigan; and Tallahassee, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2023. Fiscal 2020 Army working capital funds in the amount of $14,305,952 were obligated at the time of the award.

Serial production of new M1 Abrams main battle tanks remains dormant. For the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, the center of gravity for the M1 Abrams program continues to be the maintenance, reset (repair of field/battle damage), and upgrade of existing tanks.

By definition, the maintenance, reset, and upgrade programs for the M1 Abrams have no direct impact on the international market for main battle tanks in terms of new production. However, based on its proven combat record, the M1 Abrams - like the proverbial 800 pound gorilla - still sits anywhere it wants, occupying what effectively remains a unique position on the international market for main battle tanks.

The Bradley Fighting Vehicle production line remains active for the modernization and retrofit of existing Bradley vehicles. The stated focus of the U.S. Army's current Bradley program is on upgrading existing Bradley M2A2 ODS - Situational Awareness (ODS-SA)/M7A3 vehicles to the Bradley M2A4/M7A4 configuration.

The U.S. Army maintains that the M2/M7A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle will be a critical component of the ABCT (Armored Brigade Combat Team) formation until FY50.

According to U.S. Department of Defense budget documentation, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps intend to maintain a number of tactical bridging programs through at least 2024. In particular, serial production of the Joint Assault Bridge represents one of the most significant overhauls of the U.S. Army's tactical bridging capabilities in several decades.

The initial operational test completion of the JAB was planned for June 2019 to support a full-rate production decision in the first quarter of FY20.

The U.S. Army currently maintains a procurement objective of 337 JAB systems for the Army and Marine Corps. JAB procurement on this scale would mark the program as one of the most significant modernizations of the tactical bridging inventories of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps since the end of the Cold War.

Source: Forecast International
Associated URL: defense.gov
Author: D. Lockwood, Weapons Systems Analyst