GENERAL DYNAMICS LAND SYSTEMS - MAIN BATTLE TANKS, ARMOURED COMBAT VEHICLES AND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

General Dynamics Land Systems, a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation, designs, engineers and manufactures main battle tanks and other armoured combat vehicles and associated support equipment for the US Army, the US Marine Corps and a number of allied nations. Products include the Abrams Tank, the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV), the Crusader Artillery System, the Fox Reconnaissance System and the Wolverine Bridge.

ABRAMS TANK

The 105mm main gun on the M1 and the 120mm gun on the M1A1 and M1A2, combined with the powerful 1,500 horse power turbine engine and special armour, renders the Abrams tank suitable for attacking or defending against large concentrations of heavy armour forces.

Additional features of the M1A1 include:

Increased armour protection

Suspension improvements

A nuclear, biological and chemical protection system that increases survivability in a contaminated environment

The M1A2 program provides the Abrams tank with improvements in lethality, survivability and fightability required for defeating advanced threats, and includes:

A commander's independent thermal viewer

Improved weapon station

Position navigation equipment

Distributed data and power architecture

Embedded diagnostic system

Improved fire control system

A radio interface unit allows the rapid transfer of digital situational data and overlays to compatible systems anywhere on the battlefield.

ADVANCED AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT VEHICLE (AAAV)

The new AAAV for the US Marine Corps is capable of transporting 18 Marines and a crew of three over water at speeds of 29 miles an hour. On land, the AAAV can achieve speeds of 45 miles an hour, with cross-country mobility greater than that of an M1A1 tank.

Utilising a planing hull propelled by two water jets and the automatic transfer of power from the high-speed water jets to the vehicle tracks, a smooth transition from water to cross-country movement is guaranteed.

General Dynamics Land Systems, in association with United Defense, LP, is developing the Crusader Advanced Field Artillery System. The self-propelled howitzer XM2001, is a 155mm artillery system planned to deliver 10-12 rounds per minute at ranges in excess of 40 km with rocket assisted projectiles.

CRUSADER ARTILLERY SYSTEM

General Dynamics Land Systems, in association with United Defense, LP, is developing the Crusader Advanced Field Artillery System. The self-propelled howitzer XM2001, is a 155mm artillery system planned to deliver 10-12 rounds per minute at ranges in excess of 40 km with rocket assisted projectiles. Critical technologies of the self-propelled howitzer include:

The XM297E2 integrated mid-wall cooled cannon

Modular artillery charge systems

Autosettable multioption fuze

Automated ammunition-handling systems

The armoured re-supply vehicle, XM2002, will provide the re-supply of ammunition and fuel for the howitzer system.

FOX RECONNAISSANCE SYSTEM

The Fox Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) Reconnaissance System is designed to detect, identify, and mark areas of nuclear and chemical contamination, and report its presence in real time. The system can also sample for such contamination at a distance of five km with its mask mounted detection suite.

The automated features of the M93A1 Fox reduce the crew requirements to three soldiers from the four soldiers required to operate the M93 Fox.

WOLVERINE

The Wolverine provides assault-bridging support for tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and self-propelled artillery on the battlefield. Mounted on an M1A2 Abrams Systems Enhancement Program chassis, the Wolverine bridge launcher is operated by a two-man crew. The bridge is 26m long and can span gaps of 24m. It can support a military vehicle with the load crossing rating of 70 tons at speeds of 16 kph.