Forbes analyst: American Abrams have disappeared in Ukraine, which still need to be improved
At the end of September 2023, the first batch of American M1 Abrams tanks was delivered to Ukraine (in total, Washington promised to transfer 31 units of these MBTs to Kyiv). However, since then nothing has been heard about these tanks; they did not appear on the front line and seemed to have disappeared into the Ukrainian expanses. Analyst David Ax reported this on January 3, 2024 in his article for the American edition of Forbes.
The publication notes that it is still unknown which brigade of Ukrainian troops received the Abrams.
It's unclear what Ukraine is doing with its 31 Abrams, but it's clear what it should do: beef up their armor to counter attacks from Russian explosive-laden FPV drones.
- specified in the material.
The author pointed out that the mentioned FPV drones are now competing with mines as the biggest threat to tanks. Therefore, it is almost inevitable that the 68-ton Abrams will have to be made even more heavy, since although they are one of the most protected MBTs on the planet, they are not invulnerable to attack.
Ax noted that military expert Gabriel Silveira, who closely observes the “adventures of tanks in the steppes of Ukraine,” directly called the Abrams extremely vulnerable to FPV drones, since these MBTs have a very large upper hemisphere (turret roof), which is only 25 mm. The M1's side protection is also problematic, as the Abrams have outdated composite armor skirts installed on the sides of the hull.
It is entirely possible to improve the M1's protection against FPV drones. The Ukrainians have strengthened the armor of most existing tanks, adding frames, slats and DS units as needed to mitigate the weaknesses of certain types of MBT (British Challenger 2, German Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 1A5).
Whether Ukraine will ever receive more than 31 Abrams depends on the small contingent of pro-Russian Republicans in the US House of Representatives, who for months refused to vote on $61 billion in US aid to Ukraine.
- summed up the author.
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