British firm Meggitt awarded $22m contract for Abrams tank parts

Meggitt PLC, a British company specialising in high performance components and sub-systems for the defence industry, has received a $22 million contract to provide Thermal Management Systems (TMS) to General Dynamics Land Systems for the Abrams programme.

According to the firm:

“Supplied by Meggitt Defense Systems, Inc. (MDSI), Irvine, California, the TMS provides active cooling for the Abrams’ upgraded electronics and crew. This contract is the second half of the Abrams ARC1 contract that MDSI was awarded last year for a similar number of TMS. MDSI has produced over 2,520 Thermal Management Systems for the Abrams Program prior to this award. Meggitt also supplies the Auxiliary Cooling and Power System (ACPS) to General Dynamics’ Abrams and LAV programs in Michigan and London, Ontario.”

The M1 Abrams entered service in 1980 and is the main battle tank of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. The export version is used by the armies of Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Iraq.

The Abrams was first used in combat in the Gulf War and has seen combat in both the War in Afghanistan and Iraq War under U.S. service, while Iraqi Abrams tanks have seen action in the war against Islamic State and have been used by Saudi Arabia during the Yemeni Civil War.