One of the most powerful ground weapons in the US arsenal, the M1 Abrams tank is capable of closing in on enemy tanks, troop positions and other targets, blasting them with its cannons and machine guns, and then dashing away.
The tank’s heavy armor protects the vehicle and its crew of four from small arms fire, shrapnel and even some direct hits. It can traverse bodies of water up to 4 feet deep.
“The basic task of the armored platoon is to approach and destroy the enemy,” reads the first sentence of a 2019 training document for Army and Marine Corps tank commanders.
The Biden administration could announce as early as Wednesday that it will send dozens of Abrams tanks to Ukraine to help Kiev’s forces retake territory from the Russians.
M1A1 Abrams main battle tank
Turret 7.62mm machine gun
12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun
Top speed:
firing range:
Weight:
In service:
Origin:
41.6 km/h
2.49 miles
57.2 tons
1986
US
Top speed:
firing range:
Weight:
In service:
Origin:
41.6 km/h
2.49 miles
57.2 tons
1986
US
Turret 7.62mm machine gun
12.7 mm anti-aircraft
machine gun
Top speed:
firing range:
Weight:
In service:
Origin:
41.6 km/h
2.49 miles
57.2 tons
1986
US
Turret 7.62mm machine gun
12.7 mm anti-aircraft
machine gun
Named after General Creighton Abrams, a World War II tank commander, the first Abrams entered service with the US Army in 1980. Originally intended for combat against the Soviets in Germany’s strategic Fulda Gap, the Abrams has been updated several times with a larger gun and upgrades to its armor, transmission and powertrain. Over the years, the Pentagon has purchased more than 7,000 of the tanks in various configurations, according to the Congressional Research Service, a research arm of the Library of Congress.
The Abrams first saw service in the Gulf War where, according to a 1992 report by the Government Accountability Office, it received high praise from commanders, crews and maintenance workers for its killing power and toughness against enemy fire and speed.
The tanks helped the US military overwhelm Iraqi forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and supported raids and other operations in Fallujah and elsewhere. The tanks also served in Afghanistan, where a Marine Corps tank company was stationed in 2011 and suffered only a single casualty during its tour, despite 19 IED attacks, according to an article in the army’s Military Review magazine.
But throughout its service, soldiers and war planners were concerned about the tank’s excessive fuel consumption and limited range, as well as the long logistics and maintenance train that follows the Abrams into combat. These, among other factors, prompted the Pentagon to send tanks to Ukraine.
A battalion of 58 tanks requires dozens of support vehicles and hundreds of soldiers to keep it running – a formula known in military circles as the tooth-to-tail ratio. These could include armored ambulances, command vehicles, maintenance trucks, and trucks for towing disabled tanks. The trucks have to transport fuel, ammunition, lubricants, engine oil, hydraulic fluid and extremely heavy spare parts.
“Anything tank-related is heavy,” said Dan Grazier, a former Marine Corps tank officer.
Still, a tank battalion can only operate in the field for two or three days without being replenished by a logistics battalion, said Mr. Grazier, who is now a researcher at the Project on Government Oversight, a bipartisan think tank.
“If we gave the Ukrainians tanks and didn’t give them everything they need to support them logistically, we wouldn’t be doing them much of a favor,” he said. “There’s a whole lot that needs to be towed behind a tank to keep it moving.”
Germany announced on Wednesday that it would send a small number of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The US is also expected to provide Abrams M1 tanks as part of a diplomatic deal between the two countries, US officials said. Photo: Ronny Hartmann/AFP
Write to Daniel Nasaw at [email protected]
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8