- GENERAL DYNAMICS INTRODUCES FIRST M1A2 ABRAMS
SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT PACKAGE (SEP) TANK TO U.S. ARMY -

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- Today at a ceremony at its headquarters in Sterling Heights, Michigan, General Dynamics Land Systems introduced the first M1A2 Abrams System Enhancement Package (SEP) tank to the United States Army.

"The SEP tank is a result of the vision of the U.S. Army, the strong leadership of Program Manager (PM) Abrams, and the world class engineering and manufacturing skills of the employees and suppliers of General Dynamics Land Systems," said Arthur J. Veitch, president of Land Systems. "The M1A2 SEP tank builds off of the investment made by the U.S. Army in the early 1990s when the M1A2 was introduced as the Army's first fully digital software driven ground combat vehicle."

Prior to the first production M1A2 SEP in mid 1999, six prototype SEP tanks will be built; three for U.S. Army testing, and three for General Dynamics testing. The three General Dynamics prototypes have already been built and are being used for systems integration testing, engineering design, and logistics evaluation. The first SEP prototype for the U.S. Army is being shipped this month to Yuma, Arizona, to begin government/contractor performance verification testing. The final two prototypes will be delivered in March and April 1998.

The M1A2 SEP is the first system on the battlefield which contains an embedded version of the Army's Force XXI command and control system. In addition to embedded battle command, the M1A2 SEP includes an Under Armor Auxiliary Power Unit, Second Generation Forward Looking Infrared System, Thermal Management System, and a Commander's Display Unit capable of displaying digital color terrain maps.

"General Dynamics Land Systems designed the M1A2 SEP electronic architecture to accommodate affordable and high payoff future enhancements needed to maintain the Abrams technological and fighting edge well into the 21st century, where it will continue to play an integral role in the Army After Next," said Veitch.

The M1A2 tank is the next generation improvement to the M1A1 tank that performed so successfully during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The M1A2 provided improvements to the M1A1 tank such as the commander's independent thermal viewer, the 1553 digital databus, fully digital displays for the vehicle commander, driver, and gunner, and a position location and navigation system. The M1A2 is in production and being fielded to the U.S. Army. The current production contract provides for the delivery of over 600 M1A2 tanks through 2001.

General Dynamics Land Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation, is a world leader in the development, production, and support of armored vehicles and electronic systems. Its 3,500 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.

###

LS-98-2
2-19-98