US delivers five M1A1 Abrams tank turrets to Egypt

The US delivered five M1A1 Abrams tank turrets to Egypt on Friday, the US embassy in Cairo said on Tuesday.

The US had also delivered eight F-16 jets to Egypt over Thursday and Friday.

Both deliveries are part of the annual $1.3 billion in military aid that the country provides to Egypt annually.

The embassy said in a statement on its official page that the delivery of the tank turrets, and the resumption of the co-production of the tanks, is “the most recent step taken by the US government in support of a security partnership with Egypt that has continued for over 30 years.”

Built in the state of Ohio and flown directly from the US, the turrets were delivered to Egyptian Tank Plant.

“The delivery of the turrets will allow over 2,000 Egyptian citizens to work at the production plant, as well as provide the armed forces with additional means to fight extremism in the region,” said Major General Charles Hooper, the US Embassy’s senior defence official in Cairo.

According to the statement, the US is set to deliver 14 more M1A1 turrets to Egypt this month, with further scheduled turret deliveries as production continues.

The US delivered eight F-16 airplanes at the end of July, with four more expected to be delivered in the autumn.

Speaking during his visit to Egypt for the bilateral strategic dialogue forum, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the US government is “committed to the security… of the Egyptian people.”

source:Ahram Online