Ukraine received 31 Abrams tanks two months ago, but has never taken them to the battlefield, because the tanks should be equipped with additional armor to protect them from explosives that can be dropped by russian drones.
This is reported by Forbes.
The publication notes that the biggest threat to tanks on both sides now, on a par with mines, are drones.
Abrams - one of the best protected tanks in the world. But they are not invulnerable to attack. They are especially vulnerable to FPV drones, because the drones can hit exactly where the Abrams has the thinnest armor - on top and along the sides.
Analyst Gabriel Silveira explained that the thickness of the armor on the roof of the Abrams is only 25 mm. A drone, even with an old anti-tank charge, can penetrate this location and kill or injure a crew member, as well as damage electronic components or set the tank on fire.
Abrams side armor is also problematic, the publication writes. On the sides, the tank is equipped with somewhat outdated sides made of composite armor. The rest of the body is covered with simple steel sides.
Previously, the Ukrainians already equipped their tanks with additional protection against drones. They added frames, rails, and dynamic armor. In this way, the British Challenger 2 and the German Leopard were strengthened.
Forbers writes that the best protection for the Abrams would be grills bolted to the sides and top of the tank. They would allow the charge carried by the drone to be detonated a few centimeters from the tank body.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in May, the first group of about 400 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began training on American Abrams M1 tanks in Germany.
In July, it became known that the Armed Forces of Ukraine should receive Abrams tanks of an older modification than the United States had initially promised.
On July 28, Politico wrote that the first Abrams tanks could be delivered to Ukraine in September 2023.
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