The US Army has awarded a $32.5m contract to UK-based Carothers Construction to design and construct a vehicle maintenance instruction facility (VMIF) at Fort Benning in Georgia.

The facility will be used to train US Army Armor School students to conduct maintenance on the M1 Abrams family of tanks, as well as other military vehicles.

The company will build the 185,500ft² VMIF, vehicle parking, 120ft² security building and support infrastructure.

Construction is expected to complete by 25 October 2010.

According to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations, the US Army Armor School will be relocated to Fort Benning from Fort Knox in Kentucky by September 2011.