The deployment of US-supplied Abrams tanks to Ukraine has spawned a heated debate over their actual utility on the modern battlefield. Ukrainian crews operating these tanks identified several weaknesses, which cast questions regarding their utility in the dynamic and drone-dominated conflict zones of Eastern Ukraine.
While CNN journalists were the first to see the M1 Abrams in Ukraine, they counted about half a dozen vehicles covered in foliage in eastern Ukraine. Those crews training in Germany, however, said these $10 million tanks, so integral to the US military’s efforts in Iraq, don’t have the armor needed to withstand today’s weapons. One of the crew members, with a callsign Joker, said, “Its armor is not sufficient for this moment. It doesn’t protect the crew. For real, today this is the war of drones. So now, when the tank rolls out, they always try to hit them.” Another member, Dnipro, outlined: well, they have become the “number one target.”
Ukrainian crews have attempted to upgrade the tanks’ protection by welding on active armor, with plates of plastic explosive that detonate when hit to provide a counter-blast. But all 31 Abrams in Ukraine are now fighting near the frontline in the east, and some have been pulled back from front-line combat because of the risk of attack by Russian drones.
First-person vision drones, controlled by soldiers in gaming goggles, have rewritten the character of battle and made armor more vulnerable. Ukrainian crews are learning the limits of the Abrams firsthand in fighting around the city of Avdiivka, where an armor penetration cost a driver his leg. Engine troubles have bedeviled the tanks too – barely shipped from Poland, one vehicle became all but unusable when its engine broke.
Yet another issue has been ammunition, with crews describing the available rounds as more suitable for direct tank-to-tank combat, which rarely occurs. Joker said, “What we have is more for direct tank-to-tank fights, which happens very rarely. Much more often we work as artillery. You need to take apart a tree line or a building. We had a case when we fired 17 rounds into a house and it was still standing.”
The Abrams’ performance has also been criticized by Russian analysts, who derided them as “empty tin cans.” One damaged model was even paraded in Red Square by Russian forces. Ukrainian crews expressed frustration that the tanks were designed for a NATO style of warfare reliant on heavy use of air power and artillery to prepare the battlefield before the advance of tanks and infantry. That is what Kyiv has complained of for so long: a shortage of artillery and air power.
One of the spokesmen of the Ukrainian defense ministry confirmed that Ukraine is testing and working on equipment not initially prepared for their war. He added that they are sure of support from all countries who can provide equipment of any technical capacity level.
The decision on Abrams tanks came after European allies pledged to deliver their battle tanks early in 2023. It marked an extraordinary ratcheting up of Western involvement in the nearly two-year-old war. Still, every delay in equipment or assistance comes at the cost of lives on the front lines. Joker pointedly asked, “Why is this taking so long and (comes) partially? We are losing time. It’s death to us.”
The Ukraine conflict has also brought up some broader questions about the role of tanks in 21st-century warfare; it has become pretty impossible to move around open ground without being detected with all the drones proliferating. As one senior U.S. defense official says, there is a way to adapt to this changed environment, and efforts are now underway to help Ukrainian forces think through new tactics.
According to Oryx, a military analysis website, Ukraine lost 796 main battle tanks, while Russia lost more than 2,900. That changed the definition of modern combat—that is, drone warfare has moved into center stage, leaving the traditional role of tanks and armored vehicles in its wake.
The longer the conflict lasts, the greater the need for new ideas and flexible equipment will be. The Abrams tank experiences of the Ukrainian crews underline the fact that warfare has changed and thus the urgent need for effective support and resources at the front lines.