The Abrams tank also saw extensive combat early in the Iraq War and was used to some extent in Afghanistan. In the aftermath of the Gulf War, the US military developed the M1A2 Abrams, which has steadily been upgraded over the past two decades. Of the nine that were destroyed, none were lost as a result of enemy action.Ī Government Accountability Office report on the performance of the Abrams tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles in that conflict said that Abrams crews reported taking direct frontal hits from Soviet-era T-72s and sustaining only minor damage. Just over 2,000 Abrams tanks were deployed with combat units during the war, and only 23 were damaged or destroyed. It first entered service in 1980, but it didn't see combat until the Gulf War in the early 1990s. The M1 Abrams tank, a heavy armor product of what is now General Dynamics Land Systems but was Chrysler Defense, was developed in the 1970s as a replacement for the Army's older M60 tanks. Ukraine's defense ministry humorously suggested renaming the Abrams a "recreational utility vehicle" to alleviate any potential US concerns about sending tanks, but this heavy tracked vehicle is a tank and one of the most capable in the world. The British Challengers, German-made Leopards, and American Abrams are modern battle tanks with superior capabilities compared to those of the Soviet-era tanks Ukraine has relied on and provide the kind of mobile firepower and shock effect necessary to break through enemy lines and enable new offensives at a time when the front has become largely static.Īn M1A2 Abrams Tanks from A Company, 2-116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team (CBCT), Idaho Army National Guard run through field exercises on Orchard Combat Training Center (OCTC).Thomas Alvarez/Idaho Army National Guard Senior Pentagon officials said last week the US was not ready to send these, arguing that the "Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment" that is expensive, difficult to maintain, and hard to train on, but this week, the US joined partners in Europe in offering Ukraine tanks. Businessinsider: The US has been sending Ukraine more and more weapons, promising Kyiv hard-hitting rocket artillery, formidable air defense systems followed by infantry fighting vehicles, and now, after some debate, it's agreed to send M1 Abrams tanks.
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