The US cited the reason Ukraine was forced to withdraw the Abrams super tank from the front line

Ukrainian forces have withdrawn US-supplied Abrams M1A1 battle tanks from the front line due to the high risk of being detected by Russian drones, two Washington military officials said on April 25.

The US announced in January 2023 that it would send Ukraine 31 M1 Abrams tanks. Officials confirmed in October of the same year that all 31 vehicles had been delivered.

According to US officials, Russian surveillance drones and attack drones have significantly changed the situation on the ground, increasing the risk of detection of the above super tanks.

To date, 5 out of 31 Abrams tanks have been destroyed on the battlefield. Russia announced that it had disabled the Abrams

Currently, Abrams tanks have been withdrawn from the front lines. The United States and Ukraine will work together to change tactics, said Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Christopher Grady.

According to another US official, Russian UAVs flying over the Ukrainian battlefield mean it is difficult for tanks to move without being detected.

Mr. Grady said: “Armored combat in an environment filled with UAVs is very risky. We will work with our Ukrainian partners and others on the ground to help them think about how to adapt, in The environment has changed now where everything can be seen (under ground)”.

In addition, US officials also believe that the threat from drones is not the only problem facing Kiev and that Ukraine needs to apply new tactics to help Abrams tanks operate more effectively on the ground. battlefield.

The United States organized for Ukraine a training course on tank operations at the Grafenwoehr Army base in Germany in the spring of 2023. This course included training on how to use Abrams vehicles in combined arms war.

However, according to US officials, since last spring, Ukrainian forces have only had limited use of Abrams tanks and have not been able to take advantage of the vehicle’s features.

According to Washington Post, it is now very difficult for Russian and Ukrainian soldiers to move on the front lines without being detected and attacked. The main reason for this situation is that both sides deploy UAVs densely to monitor the other side’s moves and be ready to attack.

Oleksandr Nastenko, commander of the drone unit in Ukraine’s 92nd Army, said the increase in the number of small UAVs has turned the area around the line from a “gray zone” to a “dead zone”.

Abrams is considered one of the best tanks in the world today. However, the aid version for Ukraine is not equipped with modern armor like the US military version, making them more vulnerable.

Gustav Gressel, a military expert at the Germany-based European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), said that as UAVs become more advanced, the traditional armor protection of the Abrams may not be possible. enough to withstand precision attacks, increasing the risk of super tanks being destroyed.