In $600 million arms deal, U.S. plans to send 46,000 tank rounds to Iraq
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Version 0 of 1. Washington is preparing to send the Iraqi military 46,000 rounds for its fleet of M1A1 Abrams tanks in a $600 million foreign weapons sale, the latest indication that Baghdad is preparing for a new military campaign to take back turf it lost to the Islamic State militant group. The State Department said the deal will “advance Iraq’s efforts to develop an integrated ground defense capability to support a strong national defense.” The announcement comes as the Iraqi government struggles with how to take back Mosul, its second most populous city, and broad swaths of western Anbar province from the militants. The government in Baghdad requested four different kinds of 120mm rounds, which are used in the tank’s main gun. Most will be variations of the Pentagon’s high-explosive anti-tank munitions, or HEAT rounds. They’re built to penetrate the armor of other vehicles and tanks, and can hit a target a mile away. Militants have captured both armored personnel carriers and tanks from Iraqi government forces this year, and are using them to maintain control of territory they have seized. General Dynamics’ ordnance tactical systems branch in St. Petersburg, Fla., would be the main contractor on the project, State Department officials said. Company officials could not immediately be reached for comment. |