In the modern day, tank manufacturing is relegated to one plant in the town of Lima, Ohio. Known as the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center (JSMC), the plant has been in the tank-building business since it opened during World War II. In the 1980s, it began producing the M1 Abrams tank. With a capacity to build up to 33 tanks a month, the JSMC, on behalf of the U.S. government, currently takes existing tanks and upgrades them. Its current mission is to deliver ready tanks to Ukraine.
The process begins with the delivery of a tank chassis and turret from a storage facility in Anniston, Alabama. The U.S. has more than 2,500 Abrams. Older tanks are constantly being recycled and repurposed, after being stripped down to their chassis. The foundation is then put through sandblasting and painting, producing what Defense Logistics Agency Public Affairs Officer Craig Rader says is an “as-good-as-new refurbished tank.” This part of the process takes up to 1.5 to two years from beginning to end.
