Kyiv pulls Abrams tanks after five lost to Russian attacks
Drone warfare makes it difficult for US-provided armoured vehicles to be protected on front lines
Ukrainian forces have sidelined US-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two US military officials said.
The US agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about US$10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.
But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, most notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones.
Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds.
Five of the 31 tanks have been lost to Russian attacks.
The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means “there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,” a senior defence official said.
The official was providing an update on US weapons support for Ukraine before yesterday’s Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting.
For now, the tanks have been moved from the front lines, and the United States will work with the Ukrainians to reset tactics, said Joint Chiefs of Staff ViceChairman Admiral Christopher Grady and a third defence official who confirmed the move.
“When you think about the way the fight has evolved, massed armour in an environment where unmanned aerial systems are ubiquitous can be at risk,” Grady said this week, adding that tanks were still important.
“Now, there is a way to do it,” he said. “We’ll work with our Ukrainian partners, and other partners on the ground, to help them think through how they might use that, in that kind of changed environment now, where everything is seen immediately.”
The news comes as the US marks the two-year anniversary of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, a coalition of about 50 countries that meets monthly to assess Ukraine’s battlefield needs and identify where to find needed ammunition, weapons or maintenance to keep Ukraine’s troops equipped.
Recent aid, including the US$1 billion military assistance package signed by US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, also reflect a wider reset for Ukrainian forces in the evolving fight.
Washington was expected to announce yesterday it also would provide about US$6 billion in long-term military aid to Ukraine, US officials said, adding it would include munitions for Patriot air defence systems.
The US$1 billion package emphasised counter-drone capabilities, including .50-calibre rounds modified to counter drone systems; additional air defences and ammunition; and a host of alternative, and cheaper, vehicles, including Humvees, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles.
While drones were a big threat, the Ukrainians also have not adopted tactics that could have made the tanks more effective, one US defence official said.
After announcing it would provide Ukraine the Abrams tanks in January 2023, the US began training Ukrainians at Grafenwoehr Army base in Germany that spring on how to maintain and operate them. They also taught the Ukrainians how to use them in combined arms warfare – where the tanks operate as part of a system of advancing armoured forces, coordinating movements with overhead offensive fires, infantry troops and air assets.