Kyiv Post
The US sent 31 refurbished M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine for its war against Russia in September 2023, with the first of them reportedly deployed in February 2024. Although claimed to be one of the best tanks in the world, their performance in the field has not lived up to that billing.
Not only had the tanks been provided without some of the latest upgraded depleted uranium armor and fire control systems, it was soon evident that they were vulnerable to the warfighting innovations that have arisen on Ukraine’s battlefields. As with most, if not all, currently fielded main battle tanks, they were designed to fight “tank-on-tank” battles and so were given extensive frontal protection.
However, the war in Ukraine has changed the nature of the threat. The ubiquitous first-person view (FPV) attack drones, modern anti-tank guided weapons (ATGW) and guided artillery have all highlighted the Abrams’ vulnerability to strikes from above. All but one of the tanks lost in Ukraine resulted from drone or other strikes from above and to the rear. The sole exception was hit by the main armament from a Russian T-72B3 tank.
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