Ukraine-Russia, Kiev receives Abrams tanks and the war changes: latest news 1 September

2023-09-01 09:08:29

The American Abrams tanks arrive in Ukraine and the war against Russia could reach a turning point, with effects on the counter-offensive that Kiev is conducting towards the South and East. Ukraine should receive the first 10 of the 31 promised Abrams tanks in mid-September from Washington, as Politico anticipated by quoting an official from the US Department of Defense and another source familiar with the facts.

The 70-ton tanks are currently undergoing reconditioning in Germany, the official said, adding that once the operations are completed they will be shipped to Ukraine. The Abrams, in the ideas of Kiev’s allies, should serve to give Ukrainian forces the edge they need to overcome strong Russian defenses in their counteroffensive. The advance of Ukrainian soldiers has so far been held back above all by the need to de-mine enormous portions of territory. According to the news of the last few days, Kiev has broken the first Russian defensive line in the south and in the east it is closing in a vice the Moscow forces gathered in Bakhmut.

Now, with the Abrams, comes a new weapon that will be entrusted mainly to the 200 Ukrainian soldiers who have completed the American tank training program at the Hohenfels training center in Germany.

The Abrams join the German-made Leopard and Leopard 2 tanks that have been available to the Ukrainian armed forces for months. The Abrams represent a further leap in quality: the superiority in terms of technology and power compared to the Russian vehicles is very clear. The Leopard and Abrams are similar in armored protection, maneuverability and firepower, as well as being “exceptionally well balanced,” notes Ralf Raths, director of the tank museum in Muenster.

One of the main differences, important from a logistical point of view, lies in consumption. The Leopard 2s consume 530 liters of diesel per 100km and have a 1500hp diesel engine. The M1 Abrams is equipped with a 1500 hp multifuel turbine engine and consumes 700 liters of fuel per 100 km. Protagonist of the war in the desert in Iraq, the American tank is heavier (74 tons) than the German (64), and both are equipped with a 120mm cannon. The Abrams has a speed of 68 km/h, slightly higher than the Leopard (63 km/h).

According to Military Balance, the report of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the United States has over 6,000 Abrams tanks, including 650 of the M1A1 type and two thousand M1A2s in various versions, as well as a stock of 3,450 tanks of both models.