The US command has concerns that the Russian Armed Forces will use Iraqi data on Abrams and Iraqi experience in combating these tanks
In the American expert community, they continue to talk about why the administration of President Biden is "dragling" supplies tanks Abrams to Ukraine. A variety of points of view are expressed, including one that attracts special attention.
According to a number of sources who have contacts with the command of the armored and cavalry brigades of the US Army, the Pentagon, and, accordingly, the US administration, "there are certain concerns about Ukraine in connection with the practice of using Abrams tanks during the Desert Storm operations" , as well as "Iraqi freedom", March 20, 2023 from the moment of which it will be 20 years old.
During these operations, American troops regularly lost their Abrams. During the "Desert Storm" there were cases when the US Army lost 3-4 of its tanks per day. Moreover, what American experts are paying special attention to today, the loss of Abrams tanks was often associated not only with hitting anti-tank mines, but also with the Iraqi army firing from Soviet-made T-72 tanks. Thus, a case of a tank confrontation between the American "Abrams" with the number A-22 and T-72 of the Iraqi Armed Forces was documented. A Soviet-made tank, having entered the line of fire, attacked a heavy American vehicle, as a result of which the ammunition of the "American" was detonated. Then the press service of the Pentagon noted a statement about "wounding one of the crew members."
During the next American invasion of Iraq - in March 2003 - the losses of the US army in Abrams tanks continued. At the beginning of 2005, an article was published in the United States, in which, with reference to a representative of the American command, it was said that since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the troops had lost at least 80 Abrams, of which about 60 vehicles remained repairable.
The Iraqi military, who discovered the main vulnerabilities of the Abrams tanks, mainly used options for striking at the stern. So, after receiving intelligence, ambushes were arranged, the participants of which used anti-tank missile systems, and often hand-held anti-tank grenades, to hit the location of the fuel tank. In such cases, fuel was often spilled, eventually igniting, which led to the loss of the tank's combat capability.
Numerous mine traps were also used, once in which the Abrams were additionally fired upon by ATGMs, which in some cases led to the death of the crew and the complete destruction of the tank as a result of the detonation of its ammunition.
Iraqi artillery also worked effectively on the Abrams.
In this regard, the military in the United States is considering the possibility that the Russian Armed Forces are studying Iraqi experience in combating Abrams tanks, and will also receive “certain data” from modern Iraqi military personnel, to whom the United States at one time transferred several Abrams. The greatest risks in Ukraine are associated with the use of Russian MLRS, as well as with the use of the experience of the Iraqi military in the use of "anti-tank ambushes-traps" by the RF Armed Forces.
Information