47th Mechanized Brigade via Telegram
The Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank that was designed and built with the Soviets in mind. Robert Greenway, a former US Army Abrams operator and defense expert at the Heritage Foundation, previously told BI that the tank “was made for central European plains against Soviets,” adding that it was “built to kill tanks.”
The Abrams has been in service since the 1980s and has logged extensive combat experience in the decades since.
The US sent 31 M1A1 variants to Ukraine last fall, and earlier this month, Australia said it would send nearly 50 of its own in a move that would more than double Kyiv’s existing inventory.
Abrams tanks are highly advanced and heavily armored, but Ukraine received older export models without some of the latest upgrades, like the newest armor. It has taken extra precautions and outfitted them with added layers of protection to help defend against inbound munitions like rockets, missiles, and exploding drones.
Both the Abrams and the Bradley can be seen outfitted with some additional armor in the recent footage said to be from Kursk.
However, despite the added protection, the Abrams is still vulnerable to the same threats that have challenged other armored vehicles on the battlefield. Some open-source estimates suggest Ukraine has lost up to 16 tanks, but this has not been confirmed.