Ukraine's Abrams Tanks: High-Value Losses and Shifted Tactics Amid Conflict

The Abrams tanks located in Ukraine since 2023 are among the most valuable machines for the defenders' army. This is primarily due to their powerful armament, armour, and additional systems available to the American tank. It is no wonder that for the Russians, the Abrams tanks are a priority target for elimination. Moreover, Bulgarian Military adds that the Kremlin recently decided to launch a program for soldiers, allowing anyone responsible for destroying an M1 Abrams tank to earn around £970.

Although reports from last month indicate that the aggressor managed to destroy the first Ukrainian Abrams, it was just one documented destruction in photographs. However, the Ukrainians had to change their tactics in recent weeks, as the American machines were usually used for reconnaissance of enemy units. This was due to the presence of a valuable vision system, which allowed for spotting the enemy from a distance of up to 8 kilometres, much more than is possible with other Western designs.

The appearance of Abrams tanks on the front resulted in further gains by the aggressor's army. After the recent damage to the first tank from the USA, recordings emerged online showing the second and third Abrams tanks hit by the Russians. The machines were reportedly destroyed in the Avdiivka region. One of the tanks was also accompanied by an M1150 ABV, a rare engineering vehicle in Ukraine designed for minefield clearing.

Let us remind you that the M1 Abrams is a machine weighing 63 tonnes, with a length of almost 10 metres. The main advantage of this tank from the USA is its powerful 120 mm calibre cannon and machine guns of calibres .50 (12.7 mm) and .30 (7.62 mm). Such a set allows the elimination of any threat – from infantry through lightly armoured vehicles to the heaviest tanks.

Moreover, the Abrams is characterised by remarkable armour. In its original version, it is built based on depleted uranium, whereas the version provided to Ukraine included modules with tungsten inserts. The change stems from the USA's concerns about accidentally allowing sensitive American technologies into the hands of Russians. Bulgarian Military notes that it is this modified weaponry that may be the reason why Ukrainians lost more tanks from the USA.

Additionally, the Abrams in Ukraine were equipped with ARAT-1 armour packages from the TUSK set. Generally speaking, this is a single-layer reactive armour built from two plates separated by an explosive charge. Its application is intended to mitigate the effects of attacks carried out by anti-tank ammunition.