The new tank, known as the Abrams in honor of the late Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, the former Army Chief of Staff who was regarded as a brilliant tank commander in World War II, will he powered by a gas turbine engine, which West Germany has agreed to use in its new Leopard 2 tank.

Single Tank Considered

At one time, consideration was given to having the two allies adopt the same tank. The Leopard 2 tank is still being evaluated by the Army at its proving grounds in Aberdeen, Md., but it is now generally accepted on both sides that, largely for nationalistic reasons, it is impossible to standardize on the same tank. Thus, each nation will build its own tank, incorporating as many standard components as possible.

The turbine engine will be built by the Lycoming Division of the Avco Corporation, which has estimated that the tank contract will pump $60 million a year into the Connecticut economy and result in 1,800 additional jobs at its plant in Stratford, Conn.

The new tank will also have a turret capable of handling either a 105‐millimeter gun, such as the kind the Army is using in its current generation of M‐60 tanks, or a 120‐millimeter gun, which West Germany and Britain are developing for their next generation of tanks.

The American and German tanks will also use the same track system. Therefore, the American and West German tanks will use essentially the same tank items that are logistically important on the battlefield, such as fuel, ammunition, guns, tracks and power plants.