- GENERAL DYNAMICS COMPLETES TRAINING OF 1^ST CAVALRY DIVISION
ON M1A2 TANKS: MOVES TO 3^RD ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT -

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. - General Dynamics Land Systems employees completed new equipment training of the Army's 1^st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, on the M1A2 Abrams tank July 20, 1998. Training for soldiers in the 3^rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colorado, begins in September 1998.

Training on the M1A2 tanks was given by U.S. Army and General Dynamics instructors for 2,452 soldiers between January 1995 and July 1998. The 1^st Cavalry Division was the first active unit to receive individual training on the tank using principally civilian trainers. Army instructors gave previous new equipment training.

The contractor New Equipment Training pilot program started in 1996 when Army Non-Commissioned Officers from Fort Knox, Kentucky, were combined with General Dynamics employees. The program trained soldiers on Abrams tank operation, maintenance, communications, gunnery, and other technical specialties. Classroom instruction, hands-on demonstrations, and practical exercises were applied culminating in the Tank Crew Gunnery Skills Test. Completion of the new equipment training certified the armor units as combat ready with the M1A2 Abrams and awarded an additional skill identifier to each soldier.

"The advantage of the civilian based instructor program is that it frees soldiers for other vital positions within the Army's force structure while maintaining the standards required of armor crewmen on the M1A2 Abrams tank --- the Army's most sophisticated land combat system," said Thomas Wied, General Dynamics Land Systems' Vice President - Customer Service & Support. "When the New Equipment Training program was fully implemented, we had over 30 General Dynamics employees providing soldiers instruction on everything from vehicle operations and maintenance through tank gunnery," Wied said.

The M1A2 is an improved version of the Abrams tank first introduced in the Army in the 1980s. It is the world's first fully digital land combat system with computer software and hardware providing the crew information on the tank's mechanical operation as well as combat information and communication with other tanks. The M1A2 enhancements include; a Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer, an Improved Commander's Weapon Station, position navigation equipment, a distributed data and power architecture, embedded diagnostic system, improved fire control system, and a communications interface unit that allows rapid transmission of digital situational data and overlays on the battlefield.

The training team is moving to Fort Carson, Colorado, to teach soldiers from the 3^rd Armored Cavalry Regiment about the M1A2. A General Dynamics instructor will remain at Fort Hood to provide introductory and refresher training on the M1A2 to soldiers newly assigned to the 1^st Cavalry Division.

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.

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LS-98-12
7-27-98