A little about the first Abrams near Berdychi
Recently, a significant event happened at the front: near the village of Berdychi, northwest of Avdievka, the first American Abrams was shot down. Precisely the first one, since previously heard statements about the destruction of these machines never received any confirmation. Therefore, the fighters of the 15th Brigade of the Central Military District, who successfully hunted the overseas guest, can be officially congratulated on their initiative.
What is symbolic is that a damaged Abrams is not only significant damage to the armored fleet of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is also the first loss tank of this type in the European theater of operations for which it was developed. So his “debut” on the battlefield, a little over a year after the announcement of deliveries and five months after his arrival in Ukraine, turned out to be really bright in every sense.
But, besides all this, what is remarkable about this incident?
Now we can say for sure: the rumors and guesses that the Abrams arrived in Ukraine solely as a decorative object for filming videos and photographs were not confirmed. The Ukrainians did not drag them deep into the rear, fearing accusations from the Americans of causing reputational damage to their armored vehicles. And even more so, they were not sent to Europe due to frequent breakdowns, lack of fuel and other inventions of various science fiction writers.
Although there are reasons for careful handling of tanks.
Just a week ago, the US Department of Defense announced that a comprehensive plan to provide Abrams in Ukraine with spare parts, consumables, ammunition and support equipment in the long term simply does not exist.
Nevertheless, as the case near Berdychi showed, these machines are sometimes still used for their intended purpose. Most likely, it was forced, which is facilitated by the collapsing front in the Avdeevsky direction, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying with all their might to hold, pulling the available forces there. But the fact remains that they are being fought against.
Yes, now there is a lot of talk about the fact that this particular tank arrived in the combat area literally two days before the incident, managed to fire several shots and was hit in the head. However, how many shells the Abrams managed to fire at the positions of our troops during the entire time - three or four or a hundred or two - is still a big question.
At this point it’s time to think about what other discoveries in the use of NATO armored vehicles are promised to us by the fronts that have come into motion. Perhaps we will also see the British Challenger 2s, which were considered outlandish and practically disappeared from the radar, firing at our troops from indirect firing positions.
But there is also a positive point
"Abrams", in fact, shared the fate of many of its predecessors in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including "Leopards 2" and Soviet-style vehicles. Let us remember that his defeat occurred without any frills - no helicopter missiles or powerful ground-based anti-tank ammunition, the penetration of which we previously measured to be equivalent to the durability of the “American” armor.
The tank just caught the eye of a domestic intelligence agency drone, driving through the streets of the village. Well, then everything follows the standard scheme: transfer of target coordinates to operators from the corresponding unit and a crushing arrival drone-kamikaze. As they say - FPV, perhaps even the popular “Ghoul”.
They were aiming, as they say, for sure. The hit, apparently, was in the rear part of the turret, causing the ammunition rack to completely burn out. We do not undertake to judge whether the tank was destroyed, since the ejector panels still worked. But there is no doubt that the Abrams is disabled.
Disabled by a “buzzer” with an RPG grenade on board, which doesn’t care about armor or any other characteristics, since it is capable of landing in the most vulnerable places. And this once again proves that today even the most modern tanks cannot withstand rapidly evolving threats on the battlefield.
Against this background, Biden’s statements about the supply of Abrams to Ukraine now look very optimistic:
They are needed to counter Russia's evolving tactics and strategy in the near future. They will be needed to improve their (APU) ability to maneuver in open areas. And they are needed for defense and deterrence in the long term.
In fact, it turned out that they could also become a victim of evolving tactics and maneuvers in open areas.
Still, no matter how good the Abrams is - and it really has many advantages - it is a tank created in the conditions of the Cold War. With powerful combined, but at the same time differentiated armor, the main bulk of which is located in the frontal parts of the hull and turret.
In the battles of the nineties and zeros, he could show his strengths and weaknesses against the background of his “classmates.” But in modern realities, despite certain advantages in terms of crew protection, it is about as vulnerable as the T-72 or Leopard 2.
Therefore, like other combat vehicles, it also needs such handicrafts as nets and “visors”, as well as mobile electronic warfare equipment. But the Ukrainian crew did not bother to equip the Abrams with at least a hastily welded “barbecue” - the tank went into battle only with a body kit of dynamic protection on the sides.
The final result is obvious
In general, a lot has already been said about the significance of the loss of the Abrams for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Minus one tank, of which there are only three dozen in Ukraine. Moreover, of course, the tank is far from being the same as the Polish Twards or the modernized T-72EA sent to Kyiv. We wrote about it and its filling here here.
Well protected from classic threats and mobile. With a fully digital fire control system and a gun with multifunctional ammunition. With high-quality thermal imagers, complete insulation of ammunition and other advantages inherent in American tank building.
In general, a very expensive toy, which is doubly expensive to lose with a small supply.
Especially if it was slammed by a drone with a fraction of the cost and a completely stale Soviet-style grenade on board.
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