The Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, also known as the Lima Army Tank Plant (LATP) is a tank plant located in Lima, Ohio

Lima, Ohio

Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....

. It is a Government-Owned, Contractor Operated (GOCO) facility currently operated by General Dynamics Land Systems

General Dynamics Land Systems

In February 1982 Chrysler announced the sale of Chrysler Defense, its profitable defense subsidiary to General Dynamics for US$348.5 million. The sale was completed in March 1982 for the revised figure of US$336.1 million. General Dynamics renamed the division General Dynamics Land Systems. In 2003...

.

History

In February 1980, the first M1 Abrams

M1 Abrams

The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...

 rolled out of LATP. After a contract the plant began producing the Abrams at a rate of 30 a month. By January 1985, the last M1 had rolled off the assembly line, and production began on the improved M1 (IPM1) in October. The plant later manufactured the M1A1, with the first pilot vehicle built in August 1985. The M1A1 was produced at a rate of 120 a month.

General Dynamics

General Dynamics

General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...

 ended its operations at the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant

Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant

The Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant was the first manufacturing plant ever built for the mass production of tanks in the United States. Established in 1940 under Chrysler, this plant was owned by the U.S. government until 1996. It was designed by architect Albert Kahn...

 in December, 1996. Some of the tank maintenance operations were thereafter transferred to Lima Army Tank Plant.

To reflect the decision to manufacture the United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle

Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle

The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle is an amphibious assault vehicle that was being developed for the U.S. Marine Corps. It is launched at sea, from an amphibious assault ship beyond the horizon, able to transport a full Marine rifle squad to shore...

in the plant, in June 2004 the facility was renamed as the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center (JSMC).

Closure

U.S. Military officials are planning to close the Lima Army Tank Plant from 2013 to 2016 in an effort to save over $1 billion; it would be reopened in 2017 to upgrade existing tanks. General Dynamics Land Systems, which operates the factory, opposed the closure, arguing that suspension of operations would increase long-term costs and reduce flexibility. Heavy maintenance has kept the fleet up to exemplary like-new standards. The average Abrams in U.S. Army service has been reconditioned within the last two years. Plant closure would cost General Dynamics $380 million and $1.3 billion in closing and re-opening costs. If passed, a bill currently in the U.S. Senate would allocate $272 million in funds toward the plant to allow it to continue regular operations through 2013.