Egyptian Army adds to request for additional light tactical vehicle chassis

The US State Department has approved the modification of a previously awarded Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract initially worth $41.9m.

Now, the deal will include the supply of an undisclosed number of additional Light Tactical Vehicle chassis to the Egyptian Army, bringing the total cost to $200m.

The original FMS case included 4-Man REV1-B Rolling Chassis with 190 horsepower (hp) diesel engines upgraded to 205hp turbocharged engines; training for the 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.

The proposed sale will contribute to the modernisation of Egypt’s Light Tactical Vehicle fleet, “enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats,” the Defense Security Co-operation Agency reasoned.

The principal contractor will be AM General of Mishawaka, Indiana. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this sale.

Implementation of this sale will require the assignment of up to five additional US Government and three contractor representatives to Egypt for a duration of five years to support fielding and training for the programme.

According to GlobalData’s Egypt Defence Market, 2023-2028 report, the country does not operate any vehicle produced by AM General.

Instead, the Egyptian Army currently uses 114 units of the Sherpa 4×4 light utility vehicle supplied by the US manufacturer, Arquus Defense, which were procured between 2012 and 2016.

In addition, the Egyptian Government also signed a deal in 2017 to acquire 2,000-3,000 Panthera T6 armoured multi-purpose vehicles from the Minerva Special Purpose Vehicles, an Emirati supplier.

There are two possible explanations for this circumstance: either Arquus’s 4×4 chassis is similar to AM General’s 4-Man REV1-B Rolling Chassis or the Egyptian Government intends to procure AM General’s Light Tactical Vehicle options.

Last year was a big year for the Indiana-based contractor as it surpassed its Wisconsin-based rival, Oshkosh, as the supplier for the US Department of Defense’s latest Joint Light Tactical Vehicle A2 variant. This may be an option that the Egyptians are considering.

Nevertheless, these AM General chassis will contribute to Egypt’s goal of updating its military capability while further enhancing interoperability with the US and other allies. Egypt will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and services into its armed forces.