by Sergey Adamov and Alexander Umrikhin
[REGNUM] The Pentagon clarified: Kyiv will be given a more modern model of Abrams heavy tanks than the one that was mentioned earlier. True, Ukraine will still not get an important component - armor with depleted uranium. In addition, the experts asked the question: does the United States have a sufficient number of these more or less “advanced” Abrams modifications?
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (UAF) will be given Abrams tanks in the M1A2 modification, and not the obsolete M1A1 models, as previously assumed, Deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said . She added that for the sake of keeping state secrets, she would not "deep into further specifications" and specify the characteristics of the tanks, RIA Novosti notes .
Some details, however, were voiced by the sources of the publication Politico . Washington will not dare to supply the most modern tanks used by the US Army. Tanks delivered to Ukraine will be deprived of armor made from an alloy that includes depleted uranium. This technology is secret and is not exported even to the United States' closest allies.
The question actually arises about the modification of the Abrams M1A2, which was mentioned by the representative of the Pentagon. It is not clear if the US plans to fulfill its promise to supply thirty Abrams if the M1A2 vehicles are not in the warehouses of the US army. It was previously assumed that the M1A1 modification vehicles, which were previously decommissioned by the US troops, would be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Now the US has to make a choice between withdrawing a batch of tanks from its active army and handing over to Ukraine tanks that were produced for other customers.
As noted by a REGNUM source familiar with the situation on the military equipment market, most likely the United States will agree with buyers of Abrams tanks to revise contracts for the supply of armored vehicles in favor of Ukraine.
"There are several options for how the States can do this. The authors of the article in Politico rightly note that the Abrams are manufactured at the General Dynamics plant in Ohio, which is now already loaded with orders, the source said. - The United States now has two active contracts for the supply of tanks: for Poland and for Taiwan. Some time ago, Poland ordered 250 tanks, the deliveries of which were supposed to start last year and end by 2025."
Accordingly, the source notes, the United States could agree with Poland that the timing of the deliveries would be revised, since General Dynamics would switch to the production of tanks for Ukraine.
“Either the Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive tanks directly from the “Polish contract”. In this case, we can say that the United States plans to transfer to Ukraine vehicles in the M1A2 SEP v3 modification - this is the most modern version of those that are approved for export," the source said.
Previously, another "tank deal" had already been concluded between the United States and Poland. After Poland transferred a batch of 200 T-72 tanks to Ukraine, Washington undertook to reimburse the costs of the Polish army. The United States has committed itself to transfer 116 Abrams tanks in the M1A1 modification to Poland from their warehouses. In recent weeks, numerous videos have been published on the Web, which indicate large-scale transfers of American military equipment to Poland.
According to a REGNUM source , the Abrams M1A2 SEP v3 modification has a number of serious advantages that are crucial in a modern military conflict. We are talking about the installation of active protection systems (KAZ) on tanks, which allow you to protect the car from anti-tank systems (anti-tank missile systems).
"For the first time, this question was asked in the Israeli army," the source said. - Since the Israelis regularly conduct military operations in the Gaza Strip and beyond, they drew attention to the vulnerability of modern tanks from the fire of anti-tank missile systems. The Israeli company Rafael has developed a means of combating this threat: the Trophy active protection complex. It looks like this: Elta radar stations with four antennas are installed on the tank, which fix the approach of the rocket. These data make it possible to calculate its trajectory, after which high-explosive fragmentation ammunition is launched, which destroy the missile on approach .
During tests in the United States, this system showed almost 100% efficiency and was put into service, the source said. "Officially, the United States purchased hundreds of Trophy complexes, but I think that this figure can be significantly higher," the source believes.
"I want to note that in this situation, the Pentagon acted wisely, deciding to transfer to Ukraine precisely those vehicles that have a chance not only to survive, but also to significantly change the dynamics of a particular collision or a particular tactical operation."
At the same time, the expert noted that, despite all its advantages, KAZ Trophy also has a number of weaknesses. For example, an active defense system is not capable of repelling high-speed anti-tank missiles. For example, those that use Russian attack helicopters or domestic Chrysanthemum ATGMs.
During the conflict in Ukraine, both sides actively use various anti-tank missile systems. According to some reports, most tank losses during the conflict are the result of the use of precisely hand-held anti-tank weapons or artillery.
For example, the commander of the Vostok unit, Alexander Khodakovsky , reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are using urban areas to house crews of anti-tank missile systems that are hunting for armored vehicles.
The use of anti-tank warfare complexes acquires particular importance during battles in urban areas. Examples of conflicts in recent years (Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen, Ukraine) show that armored vehicles, often used during the assault on urban areas, become the prey of anti-tank missiles. This circumstance led to the fact that a number of armies of the world were forced to "invent" ways of making handicraft additional armor for tanks, which increases the survivability of armored vehicles.
If the States really transfer Abrams tanks to Ukraine in the M1A2 SEP v3 modification, then the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be able to get a certain advantage through the use of modern technologies. Especially in urban battles. On the other hand, capturing one of these tanks as a trophy will allow us to study the technical solutions that are being actively implemented in the US Army today.
Spanish "Leopards" turned out to be "canned."
It became known how many German-made Leopard tanks Spain can send for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From a statement by Defense Minister Margarita Robles , it follows that these will be some of the 53 combat vehicles that have been stored for more than ten years (the oldest vehicles in the Spanish tank arsenal). These Leopards are in need of a major overhaul, Robles admitted.
Judging by reports in the Spanish press, Madrid has undertaken to repair 53 units of these first generation tanks, which are based in Zaragoza. The process, the sources warn, will take months as parts for the equipment are unavailable and supply problems continue.
The La Razón publication clarified that Spain has a total of 347 Leopard battle tanks in two of their modifications. Of these, 108 arrived in the 90s from Germany. The remaining 239 are Leopardo 2E tanks, a Spanish modification of the German vehicle, more modern than what was transferred from Germany in the 1990s. But, as mentioned above, Spain is ready to share only old “canned food” with Kyiv.
“But these tanks can be repaired, and, most importantly, over time, Ukrainian personnel can be trained to use them correctly, which at the moment they simply cannot do,” political scientist Mark Bernardini told REGNUM . On Friday, the radio station Cadena SER, citing sources in the Spanish Ministry of Defense, said that a proposal was being considered to train 54 Ukrainian military personnel in the use of Leopard vehicles. According to the proposed plan, the training will last two and a half months in Spain on special simulators.
