- TANK COMPLETES DIESEL ENGINE TESTING-

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- General Dynamics Land Systems completed field testing of an M1A2 Abrams tank using a diesel engine last Friday at the General Motors test track in Milford, Michigan.

The M1A2 diesel powered Abrams completed 100 miles and over 30 hours of operation validating the automotive integration of the Europack diesel on the tank -- it's normally equipped with a gas turbine engine. The Europack, an MTU-883 1500 hp diesel engine with a RENK 295TM transmission, equipped tank is aimed at potential export sales in Turkey and Greece.

"The testing was virtually problem free," said Robert Brayer, program manager; "the diesel equipped Abrams' performance exceeded our expectations. The Europack propelled the 66 ton tank through the test regime with performance comparable to the gas turbine engine."

Land Systems ran four weeks of shakedown testing on the engine with the tank at Sterling Heights and the General Motors Milford test track.

The Sterling Heights testing accomplished in early July included serpentine steering, pivot steers, acceleration tests, and increasing speed with increasing radius turning with the new engine and transmission.

Ten days of field trials with the Europack equipped tank were conducted at the General Motors Milford test track between July 15 and 25. At Milford the tank accomplished performance testing on slopes and grades, additional acceleration, speed on grade, braking, top speed, turning radius and pivot steering tests, and cross country movement using the Europack diesel.

The diesel engine is built by Motoren- und Turbien-Union Munchen GmbH in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and the transmission is built by RENK, AG in Augsburg, Germany.

General Dynamics Land Systems, a division of General Dynamics Corporation, is a world leader in the development, production, and support of armored vehicles and electronic systems. Its 3,400 employees operate plants and facilities in seven states and at three international locations. More information about General Dynamics Land Systems can be found on the Internet at www.gdls.com.

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LS-97-19
7-29-97