The US newspaper Politico reported that the Ukrainian army has completed training on M1 Abrams vehicles and the vehicles can be used immediately in Ukraine's counterattack on Russian-controlled areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Let's see what features the tank has that the US had to wait almost a year to deliver to Ukraine.
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Promise M1A2, deliver M1A1
The Abrams M1A2 tank is not the newest, as its production began in 1992. However, in addition to the traditional high combat characteristics, good crew safety indicators, mobility, maintainability and much more, the vehicle is equipped with very good electronics.
As the press reported, the decision to supply US Abrams tanks was made at the end of January 2023. The shipment was planned to be small in scale - one battalion (31 vehicles) and the deadline was extended until the end of 2023. The joy of the Ukrainian side was immense when it was reported that M1A2 variants would be sent to Kiev as military aid.
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This tank has thermal display equipment for the driver, gunner and commander, and also has panoramic observation equipment. The fire control system is fully automated. The tank is equipped with IVIS (Interactive video information System), attached to a tactical level automatic control system capable of providing combat and reconnaissance information between vehicles and the control center, has a positioning system... Overall, the technological information about this tank seems very attractive.
But promises do not always equal reality, and the increased capabilities of manufacturers do not always correspond to customer requirements. In fact, the need for major repairs and modernization of the Abrams is quite high. Moreover, other US partners, including Taiwan (China), have ordered a batch of M1s of the M1A2 variant.
First of all, the US has not produced completely new tanks of this type for a long time, all of them are taken from storage. To transfer the M1A2 variant requires a lot of effort, including repairing, replacing bulletproof armor and installing parts according to customer requirements. Therefore, in order not to delay the deadline for other partners, the US decided to choose the M1A1 tank to supply to Ukraine, which is much older and has a worse configuration.
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Limited upgrades
The original Abrams tanks began mass production in 1985, and in their original form they did not have the same navigation and information-control systems as the M1A2 variant, nor did they have a panoramic commander's sight, an observation device without which perfect coordination between the commander and the gunner would not be possible. In addition, it was difficult to operate smoothly in poor visibility conditions, and the old fire control system...
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However, Western military experts and the media are of the opinion that the 1985 Abrams model, although there are still many in stock, will not be transferred to Ukraine immediately because of their relatively low combat effectiveness and high loss potential, so it is necessary to standardize them into the M1A1 variant.
The old 1985 tank project, if fully upgraded, would include repairing all parts of the tank to factory condition, as we say about Mo. The tank's armor was replaced with third-generation depleted uranium. The fire control system was modernized, through the application of new software and hardware, including an updated modern computer with large memory capacity, as well as providing the ability to fire most modern American ammunition.
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| M1A1 |
The appearance of the commander's panoramic sight is not provided in this improved variant, however, the gunner has at his disposal second-generation binoculars with high image resolution and, accordingly, good target recognition distance. The tank driver also has a thermal imaging device, which expands the tank's ability to drive in poor visibility conditions, including at night.
Other equally important electronic equipment: the application of diagnostic-information equipment for monitoring the operating status of other components and engines of the vehicle, new means of communication, satellite navigation, as well as the FBCB2-BFT terminal. This equipment allows the crew to work with the automated combat control system at the brigade level and below in the form of collecting information about their own position, that of their troops and the enemy, exchanging combat information, etc.
However, the M1A1 supplied to Ukraine was not equipped with depleted uranium armor. And, according to the Americans' statement about the lack of some "important" electronic components, it can be imagined that the FBCB2 device will not be installed on this upgraded tank either. The official statement of the US about the absence of this device is due to "too difficult, training is needed", but in reality, the fear of the possibility of this tank falling into the hands of the Russian army is quite high, the consequences will be serious, so the equipment of modern equipment is cut back.
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As for other improvements, they will most likely be on the Abrams delivered to Ukraine, and of course they will be more than the standard M1A1. Obviously, the stories about the transfer of old, worthless Abrams from the warehouse to the Ukrainians are just a joke. A tank capable of firing almost all types of American-made shells - from armor-piercing to artillery shells, and equipped with good aiming, communication and guidance equipment - is no joke.
However, there are some weaknesses that Abrams tanks in Ukraine have to face, such as imported fuel, skilled and large maintenance staff, and powerful support vehicles. Normally, a US tank battalion (from 15-30 vehicles) needs a maintenance battalion of about 500-600 people, and an Abrams fighting on the battlefield needs about 12 different types of vehicles to support it.
Thus, with the limited number of Abrams tanks delivered and the counterattack with Western technology going slowly, the fate of the Abrams tanks in Ukraine could be very miserable, like the Leopard 2 tanks, Bradley armored vehicles, which the Russians predict will stay forever in the field.
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