Iraq getting M1A1 tanks?

Lunatik

Active member
Iraq wants to buy 140 M1A1M Abrams tanks, along with over a hundred support vehicles (for maintenance and transportation, like 35 tank transporters). The request includes training and technical support. The total contract cost would be $2.16 billion. Iraq would not be the first Arab country to operate the M1 tank. Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia already operate over 1,600 of them, and Egypt has built hundreds of them (mainly using components imported from the U.S., but with some locally made parts). Neither Iraq nor the U.S. Army has revealed the details of the "M" version of the M1A1. All the other Arab users have at least some of the latest model (M1A2 SEP).

The Arab users of the M1 have been very happy with their American tanks. This satisfaction increased when they saw how the M-1 performed in Iraq. While most Arabs deplored U.S. operations in Iraq, Arab tank officers and M-1 crewmen were quietly pleased that their tanks appeared invulnerable, and able to assist the infantry in any kind of fight. Iraqi army officers have spoken to fellow Arab officers who have used the M-1, and were told this was the way to go.

Selling the M-1 to Iraq creates the possibility (although remote) of M-1s fighting M-1s. Saudi Arabia is seen as the champion of mainstream Sunni Arabs, and has long supported the Sunni Arab minority in Iraq. For a while, after 2003, with the increasingly savage fighting between Sunni and Shia Arabs in Iraq, there was talk of Saudi Arabia intervening, or threatening to, in order to halt attacks against Iraqi Sunni Arabs. This idea quickly went away in the face of an American army in Iraq, and growing al Qaeda terrorism in Saudi Arabia. But once U.S. troops leave, and if the ancient animosity between Sunni and Shia Arabs in Iraq gets ugly again, there could at least be incidents on the border, and the possibility of a few clashes between Saudi and Iraqi M-1 tanks.

More realistically, the Iraqis want their M-1s to keep the Turks out. A less likely, but still possible, aggressor is Iran. Although Iraq and Iran are both run by their Shia majorities, Iran is ruled by a religious dictatorship, and some of those Iranian clerics consider part of southern Iraq (where Shia holy places are) as part of Iran. Iraq figures that 140 M-1 tanks could make short work of the ramshackle collection of older tanks Iran has (and is unable to upgrade much because of all the arms embargoes).

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20080803.aspx
 
Iraq needs a strong military controlled by a stable government to keep their sovereignty intact. As for the Shia and Sunni tensions, there basically is only one thing that can keep them together: nationalism.
 
But an M1A1 is a bit difficult to hide.
Of course if we have one on a train to Russia we'd have some problems.
 
I think there are many other, more important things that Iraq can invest in in order to secure its sovereignity and internal peace. This sounds like someone will get $2.16 billion reacher without much of a good end result on the Iraqis' part.
 
From what I hear these M1A1 are export models and are not the same as the one our tankers are riding in.
 
From what I hear these M1A1 are export models and are not the same as the one our tankers are riding in.

Export models arent always stripped down versions of what we have, quite often its because the client has requested extra features that do not come in the standard version.
 
And sometimes they are stripped down versions so that the client country can afford the tank whereas the standard US Army M1A1 would be too expensive.
 
Giving them tanks is not terrible as long as we have folks there on the ground. No American military than no American military equipment the way I see it.
 
When the US sells their Abrams to other countries they set strict guide lines, such as not being able to paint them.
 
Given the amount of money America has poured into Iraq already, (and more importantly, the number of personnel wounded/killed), how likely would the sale of these tanks be? Particularly to a suspect ally and especially when America is sidetracked by elections and a downturn in the domestic economy...
 
Egyptian M1 tanks have much infrior frontal armor. This i know as a fact.

Edited beofre posting- ****. Almost said way too much. Guys- watch what you type...OPSEC is essential...Scared my self there for minute when i realised what i just infered:)
 
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