US Approves Sale of 46,000 M1A1 Abrams Tank Ammunition to Egypt for $201M

The United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency has approved sale of 46,000 M831A1 and M865 rounds and 10,000 APFSDS-T rounds to Egypt for an estimated cost of $201 million. 

The DSCA delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale Tuesday.

This notification supersedes and replaces Transmittal No. 18-05 delivered to Congress on September 17, 2018.  The descriptions and quantities of all defense articles and services are unchanged.  The dollar values are updated with this new transmittal.

The Government of Egypt has requested to buy 46,000 120MM Target Practice – Tracer (M831A1) and 120MM Target Practice, Cone Stabilized, Discarding Sabot – (M865) rounds and 10,000 120MM 4th-Generation Kinetic Energy-Tungsten (KE-W) A4 Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot with Tracer (APFSDS-T) rounds.  Also included are 4,500 120MM Insensitive Munitions High Explosive with Tracer (IM HE-T) tank rounds, field implementation, testing inspections, spares and repair parts, support and test equipment, field support publications and technical data, US government and contractor engineering and logistics support services, personnel training and training equipment, quality assurance team support services, preparation of ammunition for shipment, ammunition delivery, component improvement program and repair, other associated equipment and support, and other related elements of logistical and program support. 

Egypt will use the 120MM IM HE-T cartridges to maintain a strategic munitions inventory for its M1A1 tank fleet and in support of operations against militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in the Sinai.  They will use the target practice rounds to train M1A1 crews in proper crew procedures in a training environment using munitions that cost a fraction of tactical rounds and have nearly zero explosive or penetrating capability. 

Egypt has been producing this type of ammunition under an existing co-production agreement for approximately 15 years.  Egypt intends to use the APFSDS-T rounds to replace older model 120MM KE-W, KE-W Al, and KE-W A2 ammunition to maintain a strategic munitions inventory for its M1A1 tank fleet.  Egypt will have no difficulty absorbing these munitions into its armed forces.

The prime contractor involved in this program is General Dynamics.