The US State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale to Egypt of Light Tactical Vehicle chassis for an estimated $200 million.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on 10 January, stating the new chassis will be added to a previously implemented case. “The original Foreign Military Sales case, valued at $41.9 million, included 4-Man REV1-B Rolling Chassis with 190 horsepower (HP) diesel engines upgraded to 205 HP turbocharged engines; training for chassis assembly process, operations, and maintenance; spare and repair parts; testing equipment; US Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support.”
It added that the proposed sale will contribute to the modernisation of Egypt’s Light Tactical Vehicle fleet.
The principal contractor will be AM General, which manufactures the Humvee series (the REV1-B Rolling Chassis is used for the Humvee vehicle – Egypt uses the chassis for its locally built Temsah-3 4×4 light armoured vehicle).
In June 2021, AM General and the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production signed a partnership agreement to facilitate Egypt’s development of its domestic military automobile industry.
The Egyptian military already operates the Humvee (HMMWV – High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle), having acquired 100 M114 up-armoured HMMWVs in 2003/4.
The agreement with AM General was part of a broader initiative to develop more domestic military manufacturing in Egypt. Egypt is locally assembling warships and M1 Abrams main battle tanks, amongst others, and is developing its own range of Temsah (Crocodile) armoured personnel carriers.
The Temsah is Egypt’s flagship locally produced armoured vehicle, which is available in a wide array of variants including a 6×6 personnel carrier, 4×4 troop transport etc. Its V-hull gives landmine protection while the hull is protected against 7.62 mm armour piercing rounds and shell splinters. It is built by the Kader Factory for Developed Industries and was first unveiled in 2016. Since then, several variants have emerged.
Other locally manufactured armoured vehicles include the International Marathon United Technology Group (IMUT) ST-100 and ST-500. Development of these 4×4 vehicles was done in conjunction with the Ministry of Military Production.
