Armor alliance strengthened: Romania will receive state department approval to purchase state-of-the-art M1A2 SEPv3 abrams tanks, enhancing defensive capabilities.

The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Romania of M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks and related equipment for an estimated cost of $2.53 billion. The Government of Romania has requested to buy fifty-four (54) M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams Main Battle Tanks; fifty-four (54) M1A1 Structures; four (4) M88A2 HERCULES Combat Recovery Vehicles; four (4) M1110 Joint Assault Bridges; four (4) M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicles; four (4) Heavy Assault Scissor Bridges (HASB); fifty-four (54) M240C 7.62mm machine guns; ten (10) AGT1500 Gas Turbine engines; five thousand nine hundred forty (5,940) 120mm M1147 High Explosive, Multipurpose, Tracer (HEMP-T) cartridges; and four thousand two hundred thirty (4,230) 120mm M1002 Target Practice Multipurpose, Tracer (TPMP-T) cartridges.

Also included are mine rollers; Enhanced Heavy Equipment Transporter (EHET) M1300 tractors with M1302 trailer with B-Kit/Frag Kit; Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) M978A4 with B-Kit/Frag Kit; Tank Rack Modules (TRM) M107A1 fuel trailer (2500 gal) with B-Kit/Frag Kit; HEMTT A4 M1120 Load Handling System (LHS ) with B-Kit/Frag Kit; Ml076Al with flat rack and B-Kit/Frag Kit; Forward Repair Systems; trailer mounted generators; Common Remote Operated Weapons Station Low Profile (CROWS-LP); M2A1 .50 caliber machine guns; communications equipment; global positioning system (GPS) receivers; training ammunition; spare parts; Special Tools and Test Equipment (STTE); technical manuals and publications; maintenance trainers; gunnery training systems; tank driver’s trainers; new equipment training; U.S. Government technical, engineering, and concurrent spare parts.

The M1 Abrams is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare and now one of the heaviest tanks in service at nearly 68 short tons (62 metric tons), it introduced several modern technologies to US armored forces, including a multifuel turbine engine, Chobham composite armor, a computer fire control system, separate ammunition storage in a blowout compartment, and NBC protection for crew safety. The M1 were armed with a license-produced Rheinmetall 120 mm L/44 designated M256. The M1 Abrams was developed from the failed MBT-70 project that intended to replace the obsolete M60 tank. There are three main operational Abrams versions, the M1, M1A1, and M1A2, with each new iteration seeing improvements in armament, protection, and electronics.

M1A2 SEPv3 (formerly M1A2C) has increased power generation and distribution, better communications and networking, new Vehicle Health Management System (VHMS) and Line Replaceable Modules (LRMs) for improved maintenance, an Ammunition DataLink (ADL) to use airburst rounds, improved counter-IED armor package, Next Generation Armor Package (NGAP), and an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). The M88A2 HERCULES (Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lifting Extraction System) is one of the largest armored recovery vehicles (ARV) in use by U.S. Army.

The M1074 Joint Assault Bridge System (also known as M1110, JABS) is an armored military engineering vehicle based on the Abrams M1A1 main battle tank chassis. The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) is a U.S. military mine- and explosives-clearing vehicle, based on the M1 Abrams chassis, equipped with a mine plow and line charges.