Ukraine’s Armed Forces have already started to use US-made M1 Abrams tanks, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 25 September.
The Biden Administration promised to deliver 31 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine by the end of 2023. Today, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that an unspecified number of Abrams tanks is already in Ukraine and ready to perform combat missions, Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
“Good news from Minister Umerov. The Abrams are already in Ukraine and are preparing to reinforce our brigades. I am grateful to our allies for fulfilling the agreements. We are looking for new contracts and expanding the geography of supply, President Zelenskyy said.
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by General Dynamics Land Systems and named for General Creighton Abrams. Manufactured for modern armored ground warfare and now one of the heaviest tanks in service at nearly 62 tons, it introduced several modern technologies to US armored forces, including a multifuel turbine engine, solid Chobham composite armor, a computer fire control system, separate ammunition storage in a blowout compartment, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protection (CBRN defense) for crew safety.
NYT: First Abrams tanks already in Ukraine, US officials say
Initial models of the M1 Abrams tanks were armed with a 105-mm M68 gun, while later variants feature a license-produced Rheinmetall 120-mm L/44 designated M256 gun. A tank cost varies from $6 million to $8 million.
American troops began training Ukrainian forces to operate Abrams tanks at US bases in Germany in late spring. The announcement of the US decision to supply Ukraine with Abrams tanks paved the way for European nations to receive German permission to transfer several dozen German-made Leopard tanks, as Germany had been reluctant to authorize this transfer without a comparable commitment from the US.
Britain was the first country to announce the supplies of Western-made tanks to Ukraine, which promised to donate its Challenger tanks about two weeks before the US pledged to transfer the Abrams tanks.
Related:
- Abrams tank repair center to open in Poland
- Reuters: US to provide Ukraine with depleted uranium munitions
- Pentagon: Looming US government shutdown could disrupt Ukraine aid (updated)
