Ukrainian soldiers praise upgraded abrams tanks in battle
Ukrainian soldiers, part of an Abrams M1A1 tank crew, recently gave an interview discussing the performance of these American machines on the front lines. They addressed Russian propaganda that portrays Abrams tanks as outdated, too heavy, and lacking proper mobility.
A video featuring statements from Ukrainian soldiers was published on YouTube, on the official channel of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. It was emphasized that "Abrams have successfully completed numerous combat missions in Ukraine, and when they appear on the battlefield, the Russians are genuinely afraid."
Ukrainians evaluated the Abrams tanks
Although Ukrainian soldiers described American tanks as reliable and highly accurate, they did not claim they were invincible. They acknowledged that Russian forces had eliminated some of the 31 units delivered by the United States. However, they emphasized that after certain upgrades by Ukrainian specialists, the U.S. tanks are better protected and more suited to the realities of the war with Russia.
"Field practice shows that these claims are nonsense. Despite its weight, the Abrams is very maneuverable and very fast," said Dmytro, the commander of one of the American tanks, dismissing the accusations of Russian propaganda.
Abrams M1A1 variants were delivered to the front lines. The machines, weighing around 143,000 lbs (even more with additional elements), have engines with a power of 1,500 hp and can reach speeds of over 40 mph. They are also equipped with an M256 120 mm smoothbore cannon and thermal cameras that allow for night operation, which, as Ukrainian soldiers emphasize, is not possible with many older post-Soviet tanks.
Ukrainians found a solution to the Abrams' problems
Data provided by the creators of the Oryx blog, which monitors and documents equipment losses in the war in Ukraine, shows that Russians have destroyed or damaged 16 Abrams tanks.
Ukrainian soldiers claim that these losses mainly occurred in the initial stages of using these tanks when the realities of the war with Russia proved very challenging. This refers to new types of threats not observed on such a scale in previous conflicts, primarily the mass use of kamikaze drones by the Russians.
Now, as Ukrainian soldiers featured in the published video assert, Abrams tanks are better adapted to clashes with the Russians. They have been additionally reinforced with Kontakt-1 reactive armor blocks (in areas not covered by American ARAT blocks) and nets/grilles intended to protect against kamikaze drones. Although this solution is not perfect, practice shows that it often fulfills its role, as frequently shown in reports from the front.
