Ukraine's M1 Abrams super tank was soon defeated by US calculations

According to Yan Gagin, a Russian-appointed Donetsk region official, the M1 Abrams tanks provided by the US to Ukraine that were destroyed by Russian forces were ineffective because all sensitive technology had been removed.

Gagin said that the Russian forces were not impressed by what the M1 Abrams performed, which resembled "a hollow steel hull with a gun attached." He also said that before the Abrams were transferred to Ukraine, they had been stripped of all the best technology.

“All improvements and new technologies on the M1 Abrams were removed so that Ukraine would not get hold of these secrets,” Mr. Gagin emphasized.

A Ukrainian M1 Abrams tank after being attacked by Russian forces on February 26. (Photo: Telegram/SolovievLive)

On February 26, Russian media reported that the country's military had destroyed a US-made M1 Abrams tank in Ukraine for the first time. The tank was destroyed near the strategic city of Avdiivka. It was accompanied by a video of the M1 tank burning fiercely.

The destruction of the M1 Abrams was later confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the West had been warned that its military equipment supplied to Kiev “would be burned,” and the M1 Abrams were no exception.

According to Mr. Gagin, any Western military equipment that comes to Ukraine lacks many of the features that standard models have and requires foreign military advisers to operate it. This is evident in the advanced missile systems that are being used by Ukraine.

“This ensures that Ukraine will not have access to secret technologies on Western weapons,” Gagin said.

Russian media previously reported that soldiers from the 15th Brigade had disabled a Ukrainian Abrams tank using a cheap FPV drone developed by the Piranha Design Bureau in Ulyanovsk. Close-up photos from the Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) showed the Abrams’s ammunition compartment detonated and some flames still burning in the engine compartment.

The incident came days after the 47th Independent Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine posted a video of an Abrams tank moving near Avdeevka and opening fire on suspected Russian forces, marking the first time an Abrams tank has been seen in combat in this conflict.

The US has delivered a total of 31 M1A1SA Abrams tanks to Ukraine, enough to equip an armored battalion. But for many months, this main battle tank model has not participated in any battles, and its images are very rare on the Ukrainian battlefield.

Abrams is considered one of the best tanks in the world today. However, the M1A1SA version donated to Ukraine is not equipped with modern armor like the version of the US military, making them more vulnerable to many common anti-tank missiles and suicide drones.

Washington initially planned to supply Kiev with more modern M1A2 tanks, but instead opted to send inferior M1A1A1s to speed up delivery. In July, Politico described the tanks as “not new” and revealed that the Abrams had been “stripped of the most sensitive technology, including depleted uranium armor.”

Tra Khanh (Source: russian.rt.com)

Source