The Ukrainian military has published two** showing the deployment of the M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks they acquired from the United States near the front line. The tanks are painted in dark green forest camouflage to adapt to the terrain of Ukraine.
The U.S. pledged Abrams tanks to Ukraine earlier this year, but it would take about eight months to repair and retrofit them, Defense Blog reported. Ukraine** Zelensky announced on September 25 this year that the first batch of 31 Abrams tanks has arrived in Ukraine.
The Abrams tank is currently one of the most advanced tanks in the world, with great firepower, mobility and protection. Although the M1A1 tanks obtained by Ukraine are not the latest models of the US military and do not use depleted uranium armor, their tungsten alloy armor is also very strong, and their fire control systems and perception systems are also very advanced.
The M1A1 tanks acquired by Ukraine belong to the "Situational Awareness" (SA) version, an improved version used by the U.S. Army, with a total of about 650 units. The M1A1 SA tank was distinguished by the possession of an upgraded laser rangefinder, combined with a thermal imager in the gunner's main sight. In this way, the gunner can stably aim at the target in two planes, moreover, he can accurately measure the distance of 200 8000 meters and make ballistic calculations up to 4000 meters. In addition, the tank commander is equipped with a new remote-controlled ** station, which allows the tank to operate a heavy machine gun in the cabin by remote control while the tank is moving, and conduct accurate fire without risking going out of the cabin. The tank is also equipped with an advanced identification system to reduce the risk of accidental damage.
This tank, although not the best American M1 tank model, is also much more powerful than the existing tanks in Ukraine. The latest M1A2C tanks in the United States, currently only equipped by the 1st Cavalry Division, use depleted uranium armor, and a separate commander's thermal imager has been added to the right side of the top of the turret to improve the commander's observation ability.
Ukraine has been eager to acquire advanced tanks from NATO to counter the Russian threat, but the United States and Germany have not responded positively. The American argument is that the gas engine of the M1 tank is too complex to fit into the conditions of Ukrainian repairs, while the German argument is that "they will follow up only if the United States provides it first."
The impasse was eventually broken by the United Kingdom, which was the first to provide Ukraine with Challenger 2 tanks, and the United States then promised to provide Abrams tanks (but with refurbishment and modification) to convince Germany that European countries could supply German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Since the Leopard 2 tank has the largest number in Europe, the NATO tanks that Ukraine now has are dominated by the Leopard 2.
However, these advanced NATO tanks have been hit by Russia's powerful anti-tank system in Ukraine, including mines, anti-tank groups, artillery, armed anti-tank missiles, cruise missiles, artillery, etc., many of which were destroyed without having a chance to confront Russian tanks head-on, even if a few met with Russian tanks, they did not take any advantage.
It turns out that the Russian T-90M and T-72B3 tanks and NATO tanks do not have a noticeable gap in performance, and are even superior in some respects.
The completely destroyed Ukrainian Challenger 2 main battle tank.
The Leopard 2A6 and M2A2 Bradley, which were destroyed by Russia, can be said to be a symbol of Ukraine's defeat in Zaporozhye.
In terms of performance, the German Leopard 2A5, Leopard 2A6, Swedish STROV-122 (a customized version of the Leopard 2A5) and Challenger 2 tanks are all better than the M1A1 tank, but none of them have escaped the Russian anti-tank attack, and the situation of the M1A1 tank will not be so good. Moreover, as a symbol of the United States, it can be imagined how generous the bounty for the destruction of the M1 tank is within Russia, and the Russian officers and soldiers can't wait to send the M1 tank to the door.
Russia's new T-90M MOD 2023 tank, the armor has been further strengthened, although the author would love to see the duel between the two tanks, and the Russian tanks must also want to snow the shame of the Middle East War to the Gulf War, but most NATO tanks will not survive to engage Russian tanks in close proximity. The same applies to F-16 fighter jets, Russia recently publicly announced that the Su-57 is fighting in Ukraine, it is waiting for the F-16 to come, as long as one is shot down, whether it is for Russia's morale or for the pilot's personal reward, it will be very rich.
Even Western experts are not optimistic about the impact of the F-16 fighters on the war situation, but are worried that after they are shot down by the Su-57, they will cause damage to the reputation of the West, and suggest that the F-16 should not directly participate in air combat, but only serve as a launch platform for the "Storm Shadow" missile, and play a role in the rear airspace.
But for Ukraine, they no longer have the time and conditions to let M1 tanks and F-16 fighters "fish" in the rear, they need to use these ** to resist the Russian offensive and defend their territory and sovereignty. The author estimates that the M1 tanks will be sent to the Avadiivka front, where the fighting is currently fiercest, to confront Russian tanks head-on.
This is the Leopard 1A5 tank photographed on the battlefield, a product of the 60s of the last century, the armor is very weak, only a few tens of millimeters, and even the machine gun cannot defend against it. Such tanks have all been sent to the front line by Ukraine, indicating that Ukraine's tanks are no longer enough and can only cope with the war with existing resources.
The advanced tanks that Ukraine has acquired from NATO, although they have increased their combat effectiveness, have also brought them great risks. If these tanks are destroyed by Russia, it will not only cause losses for Ukraine, but also undermine NATO's prestige and may even trigger a larger conflict. Ukraine needs to use these tanks cautiously and try to avoid unnecessary sacrifices, while also seeking a peaceful solution to end this protracted war.