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| a captured Abrams on display in Moscow |
The American super tank, Abram M-1A1, which earned its outsized reputation in Iraq by destroying T-72s at long range without losses to enemy fire has been withdrawn from the Ukraine battlefield. AFU has lost five of its 31 Abrams to enemy fire. As predicted here, the Abrams is too heavy (70+ tons) and lacks effective anti-aircraft defense to be effective in the mud-soaked, drone-filled theatre.
{23.01.2023} Abrams has also proved vulnerable to Russian anti-tank missiles. A T-72B3 crew reportedly took out an Abrams with one shot in March near Avdiivka. The projectile was probably a Reflex ATGM fired at a range of 5k. The twenty-five remaining 8-9 million dollar armored vehicles are withdrawn from the front pending a re-think of how they can be tactically useful in the current battle environment. There are some complaints from American sources that the Ukrainians are not using the tank in suitable roles. Ukrainians have been suing the Abrams in limited reconnaissance missions and single tank attacks supported by more maneuverable M-2 Bradley IFVs.
The older M1-A1 was delivered in January 2023, but not put on the front lines until February. Thenewer M1-A2 was held back by the Pentagon for fear of possible secret technology transfer. All of the western MBTs have proved to be vulnerable to portable ATGMs, and especially to low-cost UAVs, which are effective against various types of targets. These developments were not yet available on the Iraqi battlefield.
[photo credit: AFP]. Some pundits are claiming the tank era in warfare is over, but
US Person thinks these speculations are premature. Effective air defense weapons such as laser-guided auto-cannons and jamming equipment mounted on tanks could minimize the drone threat. Establishing close air support would also help. Armor is constantly being improved against ATGMs. The role of the MBT supporting infantry in offensive operations is still needed on the modern battlefield; the tank ended attritional trench warfare on the western front in 1918.
