On Monday, February 2, 2026, the United States Army Contracting Command (ACC) at Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense, awarded an 11,994,680 USD contract to General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) for logistics support services for M1A1M Abrams tanks and M88A1/A2 HERCULES armored recovery vehicles operated by the Iraqi Army.
Photo: Daneille Hendrix, US Army
The contract modification increases the total value of the base agreement to 90,954,439 USD. The previous contract related to this program was signed on November 30, 2022, and was valued at 16,488,103 USD. The work will be carried out at the At-Taji military base in central Iraq, in Salah ad-Din Province, within the Baghdad Governorate, with an estimated completion date of December 31, 2026. At the time the latest modification was awarded, full funding was obligated under the Fiscal Year 2026 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program for Iraq.
Originally, in 2008, Iraq purchased 146 M1A1M tanks, an export variant of the M1A1SA (Situational Awareness), and approximately 37 M88A1/A2 HERCULES armored recovery vehicles for 2.16 billion USD as part of efforts to rebuild the army. The equipment was delivered to the 9th Armored Division. However, beginning in January 2015, reports emerged that U.S.-manufactured equipment had fallen into unauthorized hands, specifically those of the pro-Iranian Shiite militia Kata’ib Hezbollah. On February 8, 2018, the U.S. Department of Defense officially acknowledged for the first time that at least nine M1A1M Abrams tanks had been unlawfully transferred. As a result, stricter oversight and maintenance restrictions were introduced, and Iraq began replacing part of its frontline fleet with Russian-made T-90S/SK tanks.
Currently, the Iraqi Army is believed to operate around 135 Abrams tanks, along with 73–93 T-90S/SK tanks, more than 478 T-72M/M1 tanks, and approximately 150 T-55 tanks. Many of the older vehicles remain in reserve and serve as sources of spare parts. Russian/Soviet-designed tanks reportedly have a low operational readiness rate, partly due to the Russia–Ukraine war, which has disrupted spare parts supply chains. More recently, in September last year, reports surfaced suggesting Iraqi interest in the South Korean K2 Heuk-Pyo (Black Panther) tank, although these reports have not yet been officially confirmed.
See also:
- Building Combat Readiness: A Year of Industrial Cooperation Around Abrams Tanks
- USA: First partial photographs of the M1E3 tank
- GDLS and AeroVironment Demonstrate the PERCH Loitering Munition Launcher for Abrams Tanks
- Fourth delivery of M1A2SEPv3 Abrams tanks to Poland
- Agreement for the Logistical Support of Polish Abrams Tanks
- Taiwan’s M1A2T Abrams Officially Enter Service
