ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- The depot and General Dynamics Land Systems will partner throughout the next two years to produce 200 M1A1 Situational Awareness tanks for Morocco.
An additional agreement for 22 tanks is awaiting congressional approval.
According to Amy Weichel, chief of the Morocco Program Office for Main Battle Tank Systems, the first 50 tanks will be overhauled completely at ANAD utilizing M1 tanks currently in storage at the installation.
"This initial quantity will provide the country of Morocco with a sufficient quantity of Abrams training tanks until the remaining tanks can be delivered," Weichel said.
The additional 150 tanks will be rebuilt using the Abrams Integrated Management Process.
Tanks produced using AIM are disassembled down to the bare hull and sandblasted at ANAD then sent to Lima Tank Plant in Ohio where assembly of the tanks will take place at a GDLS facility.
Production is slated to begin later this year with the last tanks schedule for delivery in mid-2018.
"This will assist Anniston in maintaining core skills for the Abrams tank at a time when domestic production has been paused awaiting the System Enhancement Program Version three," said Tommy Morgan, the logistics lead for the depot's Logistics and Business Development Office.
In addition to assistance with disassembly and overhaul of the tanks and some M1 components, the depot will also provide assistance in Morocco with deprocessing at ports of entry and field service repair, according to Weichel.
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