![]() And this logistical support infrastructure must be established before the first Leopard or Abrams can roll into combat.įurther, Ukrainian personnel must be trained to operate, maintain and effectively employ these tanks. Regardless of shipping time, however, the fact remains that a sophisticated logistical infrastructure – including maintenance, spare parts, fuel, lubricants and ammunition – will have to be established from scratch in Ukraine to support these tanks. NATO members claim the Leopard 2s will require minimal turnaround time for shipment to Ukraine, while transfers of Abrams tanks will take months. However, there are a number of serious unanswered questions regarding these main battle tank transfers to Ukraine. While the British have not pledged Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine as of yet, the German Leopard 2 is fully equivalent to the American Abrams and British Challenger 2 in terms of combat capability and survivability. There is hardly any reason to assume today’s Russian tanks – which include what are essentially upgraded versions of the same old T-72 – would fare any better. The Iraqi Army lost 160 tanks, 180 personnel carriers, 12 artillery pieces, and 80 wheeled vehicles.Ĭlearly, facing an American Abrams or British Challenger in a Russian-made T-72 proved little better than bringing a knife to a gun fight. In the battle, the 2 nd ACR lost no Abrams tanks and only one M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle to enemy fire. Army’s 2 nd Armored Cavalry Regiment – including approximately 36 M1A1 Abrams tanks – defeated two Iraqi armored brigades in close combat. During the battle of 73 Easting (February 26, 1991), elements of the U.S. Abrams and Challenger crews engaged, maneuvered against, and defeated T-72s faster than the Iraqi tank crews could react. In close combat, the T-72 fared no better. In fact, an FV4034 Challenger achieved a kill at over 5,100 meters (5,577.4 yd, or 3.17 mi), the farthest known tank-versus-tank kill in history. During Operation Desert Storm, the Abrams and Challenger proved capable of engaging and destroying T-72s beyond the range of the T-72’s 125mm 2A64M main gun, enabling American and British tank crews to pick off T-72s at long range with impunity. In 1991, after a mere 100 hours of ground combat in Iraq, we learned conclusively that the Iraqi T-72s simply were not even in the same league as the Abrams and the British Challenger. Transfers of M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 main battle tanks, even in limited numbers, represent a significant escalation of the combat situation in Ukraine. In the midst of the fighting, the Ukrainian Army has actually managed to increase its tank inventory, thanks to its recovery of Russian tanks abandoned in the field. Analysis of open-source reporting suggests the Russian Army has thus far lost at least 1,640 tanks of the estimated 3,300 deployed to Ukraine. Nevertheless, Russian losses thus far have been staggering. Both the Russians and Ukrainians have been using essentially the same tanks against each other. While open-source reporting regarding tank-on-tank engagements in Ukraine has been scarce, it has to this stage been really a moot point. Facing the Russian invasion has been a mixed force of Ukrainian tanks, consisting of T-54/55s, T-62s, T-64s, T-72s, T-80s and T-84s (theT-84 is a Ukrainian development of the Russian T-80UD). Indeed, the T-90 is essentially a late-model T-72 hull and turret, integrating the newer V-84 MS diesel engine and the advanced turret components of the latest T-80U. The T-72, T-80 and T-90 share a number of common basic design elements, and are equivalent in terms of combat capability and survivability. The tank force of the Russian Army in Ukraine consists primarily of T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks. However, no further details were provided. The Biden administration claims Ukraine can expect to receive “hundreds” of tanks. As the German firm Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) produces the Leopard 2, such a Polish action would require German consent. Poland has been pressing Germany for permission to transfer Polish Army Leopard 2s to Ukraine. These announcements represent the conclusion of months of wrangling between NATO members over the transfer of high-end main battle tanks to Ukraine. On the same day, the German government announced it will initially transfer 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other NATO allies to likewise transfer Leopard 2s to Ukraine. On January 25, 2023, the Biden administration announced it will transfer 31 M1 Abrams main battle tanks and eight M88A2 HERCULES armored recovery vehicles to Ukraine, in an emergency aid package worth $400 million. S oldiers fire the Army’s new M1A2 SEPv3 tank at Fort Hood, Texas, August 18, 2020.
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