US Will Send Abrams Tanks to Ukraine… Without Their Best Technologies

The US will not supply its best tanks to Ukraine. website USA Today The US Army has updated older models of its main tank, the M1 Abrams, for use by Ukrainian forces. However, the Pentagon used this update to remove advanced technologies from these armored vehicles. Senior US officials fear the devices could end up in the hands of Russian soldiers. Because the latter could send these tanks to factories capable of analyzing and duplicating American systems.

The Abrams is equipped with an integrated fire control computer that allows the sniper to engage targets by pointing and firing. Thanks to this system, the tank can hit targets at great distances, day or night, and even in bad weather. An expert from the Rand Corporation (a Pentagon think tank) also announced that Moscow could test all captured tanks for vulnerabilities.

Read more

Fighter jets, tanks, missile launchers… 10 weapons that Ukraine wants from NATO

Millions of rubles to seize tanks supplied to Ukraine

A well-founded concern since many NATO technologies, such as the Javelin, have already fallen into the hands of Russian troops. In addition, Moscow has promised infantrymen a multi-million ruble bonus for capturing Western tanks given to Kiev. Alexander Osipov, the governor of Transbaikalia Krai (a Russian administrative region located in Siberia), signed a decree on January 27 promising large sums of money to any soldier who captures NATO tanks “in working order.”

Finally, all changes take time and the 31 American tanks will not arrive on the line for several months. They cannot take part in the counteroffensive promised by Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, which will begin in the spring. Especially since Ukrainian troops were not trained to pilot these types of tanks, so different from the Soviet models. Kyiv soldiers are expected to begin training on the Abrams in May at US bases in Germany. The training lasts about ten weeks.

“We are acting as quickly as possible,” U.S. Army spokesman Col. Martin O’Donnell told USA Today. “It can take years to refit a tank for export,” he said.German and British Challenger 2s, Russia has sent its most advanced tanks to the Ukrainian battlefield, including the T-14 Armata.

Read more

Here’s all the new American gear donated to Ukraine