Morocco Bolsters Land Forces with Abrams Tanks

Morocco is forging ahead with its plan to revitalize its land forces with the reception recently of another cargo of US-made M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks, Moroccan media reported.

The new batch was received in the port of Casablanca as part of an order worth $1 billion providing for the supply of 220 Abrams tanks.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced in June 2012 that Morocco had requested the possible sale of 200 surplus M1A1 tanks converted into the M1A1 Special Armor configuration along with associated weapons, ammunition, and equipment.

Under the $358m foreign military sales (FMS) contract, the General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) company will upgrade a total of 150 M1A1 Abrams tanks for sale to the Kingdom of Morocco.

The advanced M1A1 SA tank features gunners primary sight, new Block I 2nd generation forward-looking infrared technology, and a blue force tracking system for enhanced effectiveness in the battlefield.

Designed for modern armored ground warfare, Abrams tank is the main battle tank in the US Army and Marine Corps.