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December 22, 2003
Egypt is assembling another 125 M-1A1 Abrams tanks, at a cost to the United States of $277 million (for the parts of the tank, which are shipped to Egypt for assembly there.) This will increase the Egyptian M-1 fleet to 880 tanks. Because of this, and 1,600 U.S. M-60 tanks, Egypt is taking most of its Russian tanks out of service. The 1979 peace deal between Egypt and Israel, brokered by the United States, included an agreement to provide Egypt with new weapons and this led to a 1984 agreement to provide 500 M-1 tanks, although Egypt wanted 1,500. Production did not begin in Egypt until 1992. The Egyptians were quite pleased with the M-1s. However, the expense of training with the M-1s (which consume three gallons of fuel per kilometers traveled) and the reliance on conscripts for tank crews, has made the M-1s less effective than those used by the United States. However, the Egyptians to put their best recruits into M-1 crews and spend a lot of time doing drills in stationary tanks and with simulators.
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