gregs@meaddata.com (Greg Smith) (04/15/91)
From: gregs@meaddata.com (Greg Smith) >From: thi@mips2.ma30.bull.com >I have just read a news brief that the US Army plans to buy only 65 M1A2 tanks >[Is that 65 this year, or *ever*?? --CDR] I've read recently about this. They build M1A2's at the Lima, OH plant. It was given a new lease on life in the most recent cutback plan. Before, it was going to be closed, suddenly the Army doesn't want it closed. It might be some sort of political compromise obtained by some Ohio congressman. The paper stated that it had been proposed to leave many of the older M1 tanks for the Saudis and replace these with new M1A2 tanks. I have heard before that the Saudis want the M1 (as well as some other gulf nations, but I'd bet the Israelis will be mad as hell if any Arab countries get the M1 ... even if it's the Saudis). I hope they can strip out some of (or any of) the really super secret systems in the M1 (if there is any) and sell them to the Saudis for enough to get a fair number of M1A2 tanks. It's a rather hot topic here in Ohio so we may get more coverage in the press than other areas of the nation. It seems too, that if they are not allowed to export the M1A2 (in some form) and this Saudi buy goes bust, that they will have to close the Lima plant (I get the impression that there is only one other M1A? plant in existence) FYI, Greg