Last week, US President, Joe Biden, announced on Wednesday that the United States will be sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, one day after German officials said they would be providing Leopard 2 tanks to aid the country in its war against Russia.
Biden called the number of tanks “the equivalent of one Ukrainian battalion.” The move was recommended by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to “enhance Ukraine’s capacity to defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives.”
The U.S. Army describes the Abrams tank as a full-tracked, low-profile, land combat assault weapon that can dominate adversaries “through lethal firepower, unparalleled survivability and audacious maneuver.” They can reach speeds of up to 42 miles per hour.
The tank was initially developed for the U.S. military in the 1970s, since being utilized for over 35 years. It has experienced numerous revisions and at the present includes a 1,500-horsepower turbine engine, 120-millimeter main gun and special armor that can pose lethal consequences to heavily-armored forces.
The M1A2 Abrams is more modernized with two sights—a gunner’s and commander’s sight—which the U.S. Army said increases the tank’s lethality “by enabling a hunter-killer technique.”
“As the gunner destroys targets, the commander can simultaneously survey the battlefield for the next threat,” the U.S. Army said.
The Russian Army, as well as the private military company Wagner Group, mainly utilize T-90 tanks.
