The US Army has awarded a one-year contract extension to Honeywell to improve performance on the M1 Abrams tactical vehicle AGT1500 turbine engine.
The total integrated engine revitalisation (TIGER) programme year-four option contract is for up to $300m, bringing the total value of the contract to $1.4bn.
Honeywell will work with the army to provide parts, engineering, depot and field support services, to enable the Anniston Army Depot (ANAD) to reset and maintain approximately 750 engines.
The company will also provide critical field support services at US military bases in South Korea and Germany.
The Abrams engine is transitioning to a fact-based maintenance (FBM) protocol in keeping with the army’s transition to condition-based maintenance in the fourth year.
As a result of the TIGER programme, baseline configuration, field maintenance and engine performance data will be available on all returned TIGER engines, enabling ANAD personnel to determine specific maintenance requirements during engine teardown analysis.
The army expects to see significant cost-savings from transitioning from an ‘overhaul’ protocol to FBM and by replacing only parts that cannot complete another field cycle.