The United States has officially approved the shipment of the first batch of Abrams tanks

Doug Bush, the U.S. Secretary of the Army for Armaments, gave the information that the Ukrainian army has been waiting for a long time. The United States has officially approved the shipment of the first batch of Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

- It's ready. Now they have to get to Europe and then to Ukraine, with all the elements that come with them. These are ammunition, spare parts or repair equipment. You know, it's not just tanks, it's the whole package that goes with it", he said during a meeting with American journalists.

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Abrams soon in Ukraine

Unofficially, information about the deliveries of Abrams tanks to Ukraine has been appearing systematically over the past few weeks. There were also reports related to the training of Ukrainians on these machines, and even recordings showing the first shootings. Soon, crews familiar with American units will begin operating at the front.

The United States will deliver 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. These will be M1A1 variants. All of them have undergone the necessary repairs and modernizations, they are to be delivered to the front in full combat readiness. According to information provided by American officials, the Abrams will reach Ukraine in early autumn, visiting undisclosed allied countries along the way.

 The defending army was very keen to acquire these tanks as soon as possible. It was even decided that it was worth abandoning the M1A2 variants in favor of the older M1A1s that the US had been able to provide a few months earlier.

Abrams could be a big problem for the Russians

Modernization of the units intended for Ukraine included, among others, change in armor modules. Tungsten equivalents were used instead of those with depleted uranium. The Americans do not want their sensitive technologies to fall into the hands of the Russians. The defending army should not lose out because modern tungsten cartridges are probably as durable as older generations of depleted uranium armor.

Abrams will be a noticeable change compared to the previous deliveries of this type of equipment to Ukraine, mainly older Leopard variants, and even post-Soviet tanks. American Abrams, in addition to good durability, also provide adequate firepower. The M1A1 variants use a 120 mm smoothbore cannon and are also equipped with 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns. They have engines with a power of 1500 hp and are able to reach a speed of almost 70 km/h (on paved roads). They have a better NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical defense) system than the first generation (M1).

Whether in terms of the overall protection provided to the crew or such key elements as the fire control system, the Abrams M1A1 ranks higher than most of the Russian tanks that have been sent to Ukraine for the needs of Vladimir Putin's army.