Why did Ukraine go from hope to disappointment in US tanks?
The Ukrainian army once placed high hopes on the American M1A1 Abrams tank, but due to poor performance it was withdrawn from the battlefield.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•18/07/2025
Regarding the issue of President Trump once blocking Australia from supplying Abrams main battle tanks, despite being removed from service to Ukraine, according to an anonymous Australian official, "We are starting to doubt whether the Ukrainians really want these tanks, because the top is the weakest part of the Abrams, and now it's UAV warfare." Several battlefield videos , filmed by UAVs, show that both Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks have an almost overwhelming advantage when facing Russian tanks on the battlefield. There is a clear gap between the two sides in terms of performance and quality of personnel.
But the problem is that on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, there are very few “tank vs tank” battles. Even if there are, they are only one-on-one battles between a few tanks. There are no battles involving dozens or even hundreds of tanks. On the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, the biggest threat to tanks is not… tanks, but anti-tank weapons, including anti-tank missiles, anti-tank mines, anti-tank guided artillery shells, and especially FPV UAVs equipped with anti-tank warheads. For Ukrainian tanks, Russian Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters must also be added. According to public information, the American-made Abrams tank does not have many advantages in real combat and is also vulnerable to attacks by Russian FPV UAVs. This cheap weapon can attack many weak points of the Abrams, especially the engine location, fuel tank, turret top and ammunition compartment at the rear. The Ukrainian military has not explicitly praised the Abrams, but they have pointed to the tank's incredible fuel consumption; the Abrams uses a gas turbine engine. In addition, the Abrams' electronic components cannot withstand Ukraine's humid air.
On the Kursk front, Abrams tanks were withdrawn to Ukraine long before the Ukrainian army completely withdrew. Of course, it can be said that the Ukrainian army did so to preserve its forces, preparing for long-term wars in the future, but this is an undeniable fact. During the Russo-Ukrainian War, the importance of tanks declined for both the Russian and Ukrainian armies, at least not as important as large-caliber artillery, the weapon that caused the most casualties and material losses for both armies. Australia's ABC News reported that Ukraine will soon receive 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks, which have been retired from the Australian army; the type of tanks that the country promised to provide to Kiev last year. Australia has received permission from the US to re-export 49 decommissioned M1A1 Abrams tanks from two Australian Army armoured regiments. The tanks were purchased from the US in 2007 and the last of them have been decommissioned to be replaced by a more advanced version of the tank. Last year, Canberra promised to transfer the decommissioned Abrams tanks to Kiev, but failed to get permission from Washington. According to Australian media, some key systems used by the Australian military were removed from the vehicles before they were sent to Ukraine.
These M1A1 Abrams tanks will be sent to Kiev in several batches, the first of which is already on its way to Ukraine. The tanks will be transported by sea to one of the Dutch ports, and from there they will be transported by road to Poland and then to Ukraine. Although the Ukrainian army is not very enthusiastic about the American-origin tanks, they are unlikely to bring any benefits to the Ukrainian army, as their weak point is the upper area, which is vulnerable to FPV UAVs. It is worth noting that the Ukrainian military has had very negative experiences with the M1A1 Abrams tanks, but they are unlikely to refuse an additional shipment; since Kiev is currently in dire need of weapons, especially tanks.
According to retired Polish Army Lieutenant General Yaroslav Gromadzinsky, the US M1A1 Abrams tanks have difficulty moving in late winter, early spring and autumn in the European theater. “The Abrams tanks are not suitable for fighting in swampy terrain, this is the weakness of the US tanks”; the Polish general pointed out the main weakness of this heavy battle tank. (photo source Ukrinform, Kyiv Post).
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