The Iraqi Army has received its final shipment of M1A1 Abrams tanks, which were ordered by the Iraqi Government through a foreign military sales agreement with the US.
The shipment included the last five of 140 tanks that were stationed at Besmaya Combat Training Centre, which are part of modernising the Iraqi Army’s tank capability.
US forces Iraq Army modernisation programme desk officer John Hutchings said, “The tanks are the latest digital tanks coming out of the US. They are the most modern M1A1s in the Middle East.”
The tanks will be tested for quality assurance before being deployed evenly within the four Iraqi Army tank regiments, with each regiment receiving 35 M1A1s and two M-88A2 heavy-tracked recovery vehicles.
The Iraqi Army will use the M1A1 tanks to defend its borders and to protect the sovereignty of the country.
Currently, 85 tanks have been fielded to the army while more than 40 tanks are ready for deployment.
