Heavy burden: why the US is concerned about possible problems with the use of Abrams tanks in Ukraine

It will be difficult for Ukraine to operate the Abrams tanks, which Washington decided to supply to Kyiv, because of their demanding fuel and related logistics, Newsweek magazine reported, citing American military experts.

The publication notes that due to gas turbine engines, these machines consume very large amounts of fuel.

“From the point of view of the use of Abrams tanks in Ukraine, refueling these fuel-guzzlers, which require a huge supply chain for an uninterrupted supply of fuel, can become problematic,” Newsweek notes.

The publication recalls that the standard type of fuel for these tanks is JP-8 aviation jet fuel, which actively consumes the Abrams engine due to the nature of its work.

“This car does not have an idle function - after ignition, the turbine runs continuously,” William Renault, a professor at Northwestern Illinois University, quotes the publication as saying.

According to him, supplying Kyiv with the fuel necessary for these tanks could be problematic for Western countries.

First step 

This week (January 25), Joe Biden announced the US intention to supply Kyiv with a batch of Abrams, which he called "the most effective tanks in the world."

“At the same time, they are extremely difficult to manage and (technical. -

) maintain, so we will also transfer the necessary spare parts and equipment to Ukraine to successfully maintain these tanks in service in combat conditions,” the US President emphasized in his address.

• Tank M1 Abrams

• Gettyimages.ru

• © Duane Erickson

Berlin also supported the expansion of the range of weapons supplied to Kyiv - the German government decided to send its Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, and also gave the go-ahead to other countries to re-export these vehicles.

Earlier, US officials argued that it was not yet the time to deliver Abrams to Kyiv.

In particular, after his visit to Ukraine, US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said this.

“The Abrams tank is a very complex vehicle.

It is expensive, it is difficult to train on it.

It is equipped with a jet engine, consumes, if I am not mistaken, about three gallons of jet fuel per mile (about 7 l / km. -

).

This complex is not the easiest to maintain," the official explained.

Kahl then added that the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, is trying to avoid supplying the Ukrainian side with equipment that is too difficult to operate, repair and maintain.

However, later, commenting on the transfer of these vehicles to Kyiv, Biden said that he had taken this step on the recommendation of the Minister of Defense.

Washington also reported that the delivery of the Abrams would take "many months."

Thus, John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, said that German Leopard 2 tanks would arrive in Ukraine much earlier.

In turn, the American media, citing sources in the Biden administration, informed that the transfer of Abrams to the Kyiv regime would take place no earlier than a year later.

Such delivery times are explained by the fact that the tanks will not be sent directly from the Pentagon's stocks, but as part of the so-called Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

This means that the Kyiv regime will have to wait for the execution of the contract for their production, as with conventional purchases.

Bloomberg later reported that the tanks would be delivered to Kyiv as part of a $400 million deal.

Operational difficulties

Previously, Abrams has already been criticized in the US military expert community.

American experts, declaring a high degree of security and firepower of the Abrams, noted high fuel consumption and another significant drawback - the very large weight of the vehicle.

The National Interest magazine mentioned this in their article "Too obese for combat: the M1 Abrams tank has weight problems."

• M1 Abrams tank during the Gulf War in 1991

• Gettyimages.ru

• © Corbis

The publication recalled that the Abrams was developed in the late 1970s as a main battle tank of moderate dimensions weighing just over 61 tons. However, new modifications of this vehicle weighed more and more, the publication stated.

“Since its release, the Abrams has gotten heavier and heavier.

The M1 model of the Cold War era was replaced by an almost 75-ton heavyweight.

The latest version of the Abrams has, in fact, reached the limit of the modernization potential in terms of the possibility of further increase in mass.

In particular, this machine has become a headache in terms of logistics and is perhaps too heavy for effective combat use, ”analysts emphasized.

They noted that the mass of Abrams tanks complicates their repair and transportation.

Simple tactical maneuvers, such as crossing bridges and driving on roads, are becoming a problem, especially in Eastern Europe, as the local infrastructure is not designed for such loads, NI noted.

Military experts interviewed by RT, for their part, recalled that the Russian T-90 tank weighs only 48 tons, and expressed the opinion that the Ukrainian military would face difficulties operating the M1 Abrams.

“Problems will arise primarily with fuel, because Abrams uses jet aviation fuel.

It must be of very high quality and purity.

Under the current conditions, it will be difficult for Ukraine to operate such tanks, ”stated Sergey Suvorov, candidate of military sciences.

He also pointed out that the large weight of the Abrams tank does not at all indicate its improved security or higher survivability in battle.

“For the first time, these tanks were widely used in combat conditions in 1991 during Desert Storm.

There they fought mainly against the Iraqi T-72M, which gave a competitive battle to the Abrams.

At the same time (according to the experience of studying the two Iraqi wars), the bulk of Soviet-made vehicles were not struck in tank duels, but by aircraft, artillery, and sometimes even ship salvos.

In 1991, American tankers on Abrams tried not to get closer than 3 km to the T-72, ”said Suvorov.

From the point of view of Vladimir Prokhvatilov, an expert from the Academy of Military Sciences, NATO is “interesting to test” the Abrams in the Eastern European theater of operations.

“In principle, gas turbine engines have proven themselves well in terms of speed characteristics.

But in the Middle East, for example, they suffered greatly from sand getting into the engine.

However, then the Americans could quickly replace the engine or repair it.

It is unlikely that the same can be done in Ukraine, ”the analyst explained in an interview with RT.

According to him, tank duels between Abrams and Russian vehicles in the NVO zone should not be expected in the near future.

“Also, these vehicles are unlikely to be used for ambush attacks.

Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams are sent to Kyiv to organize the spring offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to create a powerful vanguard and support the ground forces.

Despite their shortcomings, American tanks still have serious firepower, ”Prokhvatilov added.

He also drew attention to the fact that Washington is now expecting significant military victories from Kyiv.

“The Biden team is in dire need of literally momentary “victories” so that by the presidential election of 2024 there are foreign policy trump cards in hand.

Now they simply do not exist, given that the tactical initiative is in the hands of the RF Armed Forces.

Therefore, the United States took such a step that other countries also began to send their tanks to Kyiv, ”the expert concluded.