The U.S. State Department recently approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Egypt of M1A1 Abrams tank refurbishment, support, and related equipment for an estimated cost of $4.6 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) reported the action on December 20th.
Highlighted in the announcement to refurbish and upgrade 555 Abrams tanks into M1A1SA configuration tanks are an equal number of VAS-5B Driver Vision Enhancer (DVE-A) Kits and Thermal Imaging System (TIS) Gunner’s Sights, among other supporting systems.
In the U.S., the widely distributed VAS-5 DVE has been produced for the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Special Operations Command. The system is also notably an important sensor on most M1126 Stryker infantry carrier vehicles.
The international market for U.S.-made tactical vehicles has always provided significant opportunity for the DVE. In July 2020 the State Department approved an FMS to Argentina of 27 Stryker vehicles and related equipment, including the VAS-5, for an estimated cost of $100 million. And in March 2021, North Macedonia was approved to buy 54 VAS-5-equipped Stryker vehicles in an order worth $210 million.
The DVE’s feature a rugged, lightweight, liquid-crystal display (LCD) which provides critical situational awareness during night, low light, daylight conditions.
As for the Gunner’s Sights, generally this technology’s thermal sighting capabilities allow tank operators to make observations even through harsh or challenging environmental conditions such as smoke, fog, rain and sea spray.
According to the DSCA, the Egyptian Refurbishment Program will significantly contribute to the flow of M1A1 components and parts from the U.S., and help reduce overall unit pricing of vehicle parts.
Andrew Dardine is lead analyst for Forecast International’s Defense Electronic Systems group. He is the primary author of Forecast International’s Electronic Warfare Forecast and co-author of Electro-Optical Systems Forecast and C4I Forecast. Andrew is also a regular contributor to FI’s Defense & Security Monitor blog, offering insights into developing technologies such as directed-energy and next-generation jamming systems. His analysis of such vital market areas as EO/IR systems and electronic countermeasures technology has been cited in Defense News, Aerospace Daily, and Bloomberg Businessweek, among other news media. He has also written about the electronic defense market for Aviation Week and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
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