worried that the fuel demands would create a logistical nightmare for Ukrainian forces. It will burn through fuel at a rate of at least two gallons per mile (4.7 liters per kilometer), whether the tank is moving or idling, Butler said, which means a constant supply convoy of fuel trucks must stay within reach so it can keep moving forward. The Abrams’ jet engine needs hundreds of gallons of fuel to operate. The Abrams, he said, “didn’t even notice” the mud. Butler recalled a muddy exercise in the late 1990s at Fort Stewart, Georgia, where he’d voiced concern about the tanks getting stuck because it had already stuck the Humvees. The Abrams’ powerful jet engine can propel the tank through almost any terrain, whether heavy snow or heavy mud, said Kevin Butler, a former Army lieutenant who served as an Abrams tank platoon leader. More recently, the battle titans led the charge to Baghdad during America’s 2003 invasion of Iraq, as 3rd Infantry Division units conducted what was dubbed “Thunder Runs” to break through Iraqi defenses. WATCH: White House says battle tanks will ‘have an effect’ in Ukraine It has thick armor, a 120 mm main gun, armor piercing capabilities, advanced targeting systems, thick tracked wheels and a 1,500-horsepower turbine engine with a top speed of about 42 miles per hour (68 kilometers per hour).Ĭrews interviewed in a 1992 Government Accountability Office review after the Persian Gulf War praised its high survivability and said “several M1A1 crews reported receiving direct frontal hits from Iraqi T-72s with minimal damage.” M1 Abrams tanks have led American battle assaults for decades.Ĭarrying a crew of four, the Abrams was first deployed to war in 1991. said it will send 31 of the 70-ton Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, and Germany announced it will send 14 Leopard 2 tanks and allow other countries to do the same.Ī look at the massive battle weapon, why it is important to Ukraine’s war with Russia, and what drove the Biden administration’s tank turnabout. And it resulted in in a quick succession of announcements: The U.S.
The dramatic reversal was the culmination of intense international pressure and diplomatic arm-twisting that played out over the last week. Ukraine’s desperate pleas for tanks were answered with a sweeping, trans-Atlantic yes. officials balked at sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, insisting they were too complicated and too hard to maintain and repair.
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