The US will supply Kyiv with 30-year-old Abrams tanks, not new ones
Over the course of several months, the United States plans to supply tanks of an older version of the Abrams M1A1, which can be taken from army stocks, into the combat zone in Ukraine. They were produced in 1985-1992.
Initially, the United States planned to transfer 31 newer Abrams M1A2 tanks, the production and delivery of which could take a year or two, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
US Department of Defense spokesman Patrick Ryder confirmed on March 21 that Ukraine will receive an older modification of American Abrams tanks - this will speed up their transfer and development by the Ukrainian military.
“After further study and analysis of the best possible options, the Department of Defense, in close coordination with Ukraine, has decided to provide a variant of the Abrams M1A1 tank, which will allow us to significantly speed up the delivery timeline and deliver this important equipment to Ukraine before the fall of this year,” he said at a briefing in Washington.
The U.S. will also provide Kyiv with “modern armored vehicles and weapons systems” that are “very similar in capabilities” to the Abrams M1A2 tank, including .50-caliber heavy machine guns and 120mm cannons, the defense official said.
As anonymous American officials previously explained in media comments, it will be easier for Ukrainian troops to learn to use and maintain an older model of an American tank.
But there may be another explanation for this decision.
In April, the first of 116 Abrams M1A1 tanks, which the country purchased last December, should arrive in Poland. Polish tank crews have been training to use this model since the summer of 2022, and can become both instructors and mercenaries who will fight alongside the Ukrainians.
The Abrams M1A1 main battle tank was developed by General Dynamics. It is a further development of the Abrams M1. The M1A1 was introduced in 1985 and production began that same year. It entered service with the US Army in 1986. Production ceased in 1992, by which time approximately 4 Abrams M800A1 tanks had been built.
The US Army currently operates about 4 of these tanks, and the US Marine Corps just over 400.
Как reported “PolitNavigator”, Ukraine in 2022 became the third importer of weapons in the world, ahead of Qatar and India.
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