On November 9, 2023, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of the US Department of Defense sent a notification to the US Congress about the planned possible sale to Romania through the US program of intergovernmental foreign military sales Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of 54 M1A2 SEP v.3 Abrams main tanks, with the appropriate set of weapons, equipment, property, special machines and support machines. This sale is approved by the U.S. Department of State. The total cost of the proposed delivery is estimated at $2.53 billion, including training and technical support packages.
US Army M1A2 SEP v.2 Abrams tank during the Saber Guardian 19 joint exercise at the Borduzani training ground in Romania, 06/21/2019 (c) Abigail Graham / US Army
According to the notification, 54 main tanks M1A2 SEP v.3 Abrams, 54 armored hulls of M1A1 Abrams tanks should be included in the delivery at the request of the Romanian government (apparently for conversion to M1A2 SEP v.3), four armored repair and evacuation vehicles M88A2 Hercules, four armored engineering vehicles M1150 ABV (Assault Breacher Vehicle) on the basis of the Abrams tank, four tank bridge M1110 JAB (Joint Assault Bridge) on the basis of the Abrams tank with four sets of bridge structures Heavy Assault Scissor Bridge (HASB), ten spare gas turbine engines AGT1500, 5490 multi-purpose high explosive programmable tank shots M1147 HEMP-T 120 mm caliber and 4230 practical multi-purpose tank shots M1002 TPMP-T 120 mm caliber. Sub-caliber armor-piercing tank shots are not included in the delivery and, apparently, will be purchased separately.
Also included in the delivery will be tank minesweepers, M1300 ENET (Enhanced Heavy Equipment Transporter) tractors with M1302 trailers, M978A4 NEMTT trucks, M1120A4 HEMTT cars with a multi-lift loading system (PLS) and M1076A4 trailers with the same system (all vehicles must be equipped with B-Kit/Frag Kit booking kits), container fuel tanks M107A1 TRM (Tank Rack Module), remotely controlled Kongsberg CROWS-LP combat modules with 12.7mm M2A1 machine guns for tanks, 54 M240A1 machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber, and other property.
The main contractor will be General Dynamics Land Systems.
From the bmpd side, we point out that in 2022 the Romanian government decided to purchase 54 M1A2 SEP Abrams tanks in the United States (that is, one battalion set), and in February 2023 sent a corresponding request to the American side through the FMS, in the authorization of which the US Department of Defense has now sent a corresponding DSCA notification to Congress. In general, the Romanian program for the acquisition of modern main tanks extends for the future to 300 units to man all five deployed tank battalions (54 tanks each), while it was stated that not all of them can be of the Abrams type, and Romania also shows great interest in the South Korean K2 tank.
The issue of acquiring modern tanks is very relevant for Romania, since the Romanian army now has perhaps the most archaic tank fleet in Europe, represented by T-55 tanks and its Romanian modifications (TR-580 and TR-85). As of 2022, Romania had 54 upgraded TR-85M1 Bizonul tanks (with a 100 mm cannon), 226 TR-85 tanks (of which half are in storage), nine TR-580 and 120 T-55AM/T-55AM2. Of the five linear tank battalions, one is equipped with TR-85M1 tanks, two with TR-85 tanks and two with T-55AM/T-55AM2 tanks.
