U.S.-made Abrams main battle tanks will soon be rolling out along Ukraine's front lines, but they will not be models originally pledged by Washington to Kyiv.
On Thursday, Politico reported that U.S.-supplied Abrams tanks would arrive on the Ukrainian front lines in September, citing six people familiar with the planning to deliver the tanks. The Abrams will first head to Germany in August for refurbishment, before being shipped onwards to Ukraine, the outlet reported.
The U.S. pledged a total of 31 Abrams tanks in late January, as several of Kyiv's Western allies committed main battle tanks like the Leopard 2 and the Challenger 2. These have already arrived in Ukraine, unlike the Abrams.
On March 21, the Pentagon said the U.S. would no longer send later-generation M1A2 Abrams to Ukraine, which would take around a year to deliver.
The U.S. Defense Department said Ukraine would received refurbished M1A1 tanks in the fall, "faster than what was initially expected."
These older tanks would nonetheless have "a very similar capability" to the later M1A2, Pentagon Press Secretary, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, said. They will have a 120mm main gun and a 50-caliber heavy machine gun fitted, the Pentagon said.
"This is about getting this important combat capability into the hands of the Ukrainians sooner rather than later," he added.
"The Abrams will certainly make a difference on the battlefield," Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims told reporters during a Pentagon briefing in mid-July. "When the Abrams arrive, they'll be able to make a difference with Ukrainians," he added.
Although it is is not known which electronics Ukraine's military will get with the older Abrams, "a simpler variant is better suited given the time constraints," according to Marina Miron, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, U.K.
Experts have previously suggested that the high-tech Abrams, which are complicated platforms compared to other tanks, would lose some of their most sophisticated electronics before seeing combat in Ukraine. The tanks are "being stripped of their most sensitive technology, including in some cases secret depleted uranium armor, before they can be sent to Ukraine," Politico reported.
The M1A2's electronics are typically more advanced, offering some advantages to the tank crew and particularly the gunner and commander, Miron told Newsweek.
"However, the systems are more complex and require more training and sustainment," making the M1A1's design a better choice for getting the tanks operational and useful in Ukraine, Miron said.
There have been several models of the M1A1, with the later ones including upgrades such as improving situational awareness and increasing the firepower.
The "main upgrade" is in the M1A1's sighting devices, including with a single second-generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sighting system and an additional tactical information system, Miron said.
"The M1A1 SA is as survivable and maneuverable as the more modern variants," the U.S. Army said of the earlier model of Abrams.
The later M1A2 has also had several rounds of upgrades, including multiple models with System Enhancement Packages. The M1A2 SEPv2 is kitted out with digital architecture, and boasts both a gunner's and commander's sight to "increase the tank's lethality," the U.S. Army said.
"As the gunner destroys targets, the commander can simultaneously survey the battlefield for the next threat," the U.S. military added.
This version of the M1A2 also integrates the Non-Developmental Item Active Protection System (APS)-Trophy, "which can engage incoming threats by firing a projectile," Miron said. This helps fend off many anti-armor threats to the tank before they can reach it, she added.
"The M1A2 is equipped with additional thermal-vision optics for both the driver and commander, providing enhanced situational awareness to the entire crew" when pitted against other tanks of its era, including the T-72, Tristan Sauer, land domain analyst at GlobalData, told ArmyTechnology in March 2023. "This facilitates night operations of tank formations," Sauer added.
The U.S. Army describes the M1A2 SEPv3 as "the most reliable Abrams tank ever produced," and the M1A2 SEPv4—now in development—as the "most lethal Abrams tank" which will have third-generation FLIR sight among other upgrades.
The later Abrams tanks weigh in heavier than the M1A1 SA, with the earlier model sitting at around 67 tons, and the M1A2 SEPv3 at approximately 73 tons.
