Ukraine has so far received 31 U.S.-aided M1A1Sa tanks, but they have not yet been used on the battlefield. Recently, Mark Hertling, a retired American former commander of the European and Seventh Army, explained that the Ukrainian army may be helpless due to logistical maintenance problems with the M1A1SA. He noted that the "oil tiger" nature of these tanks and the high requirements for cleanliness make it difficult for the Ukrainian army to effectively use these equipment. Mark noted that the M1A1 tanks that the United States has aided Ukraine have two distinct features that make it difficult for the Ukrainian army to adapt. First of all, the M1A1 pays a lot of attention to cleanliness. It was powered by a 1,500-horsepower Honeywell AGT1500 gas turbine, and the maintenance of this engine was normal, but the filters installed on the engine air intakes were a nightmare for the support staff. The purpose of these filters is to prevent dust or impurities from entering the engine and damaging it, but after a period of use, the filter will fail. According to U.S. military standards, the filter of the M1A1SA needs to be cleaned every 12 hours, no matter how urgent the war situation.
If the Ukrainian soldiers do not carry out these maintenance work, a large amount of dust enters the engine, which may cause irreversible damage to the engine. For the Ukrainian soldiers, what is even more serious is that since they do not have the repair capacity of M1A1SA tanks, these tanks must be sent to Poland for repair. The factory in Poland needed to remove the Allison X1100-3B gearbox and then remove the engine for repair. If a spare engine is not available, then the tank will have to be withdrawn from the battlefield. All in all, the M1A1SA's engine is quite difficult to serve. In addition, Mark also mentioned that the M1A1SA is an "oil tiger". Before the M1A1 was sent to Ukraine by the United States, many military experts had concerns about the logistical supply capabilities of the Ukrainian soldiers. The M1A1SA weighs 68 tons and consumes an average of 4 per 1 km traveled54 liters. In comparison, the average fuel consumption per kilometer of the average family car is only 006 to 008 liters. Even the Russian T-72 series tanks, which are known for their fuel consumption, have an average fuel consumption of less than 4 liters per kilometer.
Ukraine is facing a problem with fuel for the M1A1Sa tank, which is a huge challenge for them. In order to extend the service life of the M1A1SA, it is necessary to use high-quality fuel. The U.S. military uses JP-8 jet fuel, while other countries usually use diesel fuel for the M1 series of tanks. However, diesel fuel increases the load on the engine, which can easily lead to mechanical failures, which reduces the reliability of the M1 tank. Since Ukraine does not receive aviation fuel from the United States, Ukrainian M1 tanks are more prone to breakdowns with diesel and need to be cleaned more often. Perhaps it is because of the combination of these two factors that the Ukrainian army received the M1 tank in September, but it has not yet been put into combat use. Ukraine has obtained M1A1 tanks, while the US military uses M1A2, and the biggest difference between the two is that the latter uses new depleted uranium armor to improve protection. In addition, the M1A2 is equipped with an independent commander's sighting system, which allows the commander to find and lock onto targets independently of the gunner's sighting system.
The United States initially promised to provide Ukraine with the M1A2 tank in service with the US military, but out of concern that the tank might be captured by the Russian army and reveal the secret of the depleted uranium armor, the US military technical department assessed that if the M1A2 was to be provided, it would take at least a year to remove all the depleted uranium armor, so it could not complete the commitment to Ukraine before the fall. Therefore, the United States decided to supply Ukraine with the M1A1 in stock, promising to upgrade it before delivery. The M1A1SA obtained by Ukraine is the Australian version of the M1A1AIMSA hull, neither of which contains depleted uranium armor, and the United States does not provide depleted uranium armor-piercing shells. The Ukrainian army's M1A1SA has installed a situational awareness component in the commander's position, which allows the vehicle to have night vision and infrared targeting capabilities. In addition, the suspension system and auxiliary power system of the car body have also been updated to a certain extent. The U.S. military had previously assured Ukraine that the M1A1 tanks supplied were not much different from the M1A2, but it turned out that the M1A1 only improved in "situational awareness" capabilities, and there was a significant gap with the M1A2 in terms of armor-piercing capabilities and protection capabilities.
The battlefield in Ukraine is currently full of mines, and even if the Ukrainian army's M1A1SA tanks have excellent protection capabilities, it is difficult to survive the hunting tactics of the Russian army. The eastern region of Ukraine is now one of the most heavily contaminated by landmines in the world. Even if the M1 tanks of the Ukrainian army are equipped with mine-sweeping plows and mine-sweeping rollers, it is difficult to avoid the fate of mines blowing up the tracks. Once the M1 tank is paralyzed, the Russian army's "Lancet" cruise missiles, "Vortex" missiles, "Kornet" anti-tank missiles and even 152mm artillery shells can pose a serious threat to it. Many of the M1's designs were originally designed to ensure the safety of the occupants, reflecting the U.S. military's attitude that life is critical and equipment is secondary. However, in the case of Ukraine, it is the opposite, the lives of the Ukrainian army may not be so valued, but the M1 tank cannot be easily abandoned. According to the report of "Reference News", Szijjártó Peter, the head of Hungary, bluntly said on November 28 that "the Ukrainian armed forces have failed against the Russian army", becoming the first foreign minister of a NATO country to publicly admit the defeat of the Ukrainian army.
In fact, the ** plan of the Ukrainian army has reached a stalemate in September, and the original ** plan of the Ukrainian top level was only a week, and it coincided with the arrival of M1A1SA. The Ukrainian army is well aware that even if the M1 tank goes to the battlefield, it will not be able to turn the situation around, so it simply does not waste this power at all.