CAIRO, Jan. 13 (AGCNewsNet) - Egypt is set to embark on a major tank refurbishment project, upgrading 555 of its M1 Abrams main battle tanks to the advanced M1A1SA configuration in a deal valued at $4.69 billion. The U.S. State Department approved the potential sale on December 20, 2024, with the notification sent to Congress.

Under the deal, Egypt will receive a range of new equipment, including AN/VAS-5B Driver Vision Enhancer (DVE-A) Kits, Thermal Imaging System (TIS) Gunner’s Sights, M250 Smoke Grenade Launchers, AGT-1500 tank engines, and X-1100 transmissions, along with spare parts and support equipment. The DVE-A system, featuring a rugged liquid-crystal display, will provide critical situational awareness for Egyptian tank crews in various lighting conditions.

This refurbishment will allow Egypt to modernize its fleet, reducing obsolescence and ensuring that the tanks remain operational well into the 2030s. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) emphasized that the upgrade project will improve logistics and create economies of scale by boosting the availability of M1A1 parts for the U.S. military and its allies.

The refurbishment will be carried out by General Dynamics Land Systems at the Egyptian Tank Plant in Cairo, with work expected to span up to ten years. This program will not add additional tanks to Egypt's inventory, which already includes about 1,200 M1 Abrams tanks, though many of its older models are in storage. Egypt has been manufacturing M1 tanks locally since the 1980s.

The U.S. DSCA highlighted that Egypt is the only country, aside from the U.S., that produces M1A1 tanks, making this deal a significant contributor to both nations' defense capabilities.

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