Last year, Ukraine received 31 Abrams M-1A1 tanks from the United States, which entered service with the 47th Mechanized Brigade, which maintains the defense in the Avdiivka region of Donetsk region.
What was the problem when using Abrams tanks
It is noted that during several months of heavy fighting, the Ukrainian military lost at least eight 69-ton four-seater M-1s, in most cases as a result of drone attacks by the occupation army of the Russian Federation.
However, the fighters of the 47th Brigade later solved the problem by adding cages to the armour, which allowed the detonation of UAVs with explosives at safe distances.
Despite official statements, the Ukrainian military did not remove Abrams from the battlefield but began using them more carefully.
The commander of the brigade explained in a comment to the journalists of the publication that currently American tanks are used only when there is a guaranteed opportunity to destroy enemy equipment.
According to one of the tankers, the brigade could have used the Abrams differently if they had better protection against enemy UAVs with explosives.
At the same time, the publication notes that the USA had a custom-made option to protect these tanks from drone attacks.
It is noted that the Ukrainian M-1A1s have standard M-19 Abrams jet armor on the sides of their thinly shielded hull, but no jet armor on the turrets.
Reactive armor contains small explosive plates that explode outwards on impact, partially deflecting incoming munitions.
We, as a crew and as a battalion in general, would like our American partners to provide us with dynamic armor, so that not only our flanks are protected, but also the turret, explains the Ukrainian tanker.
However, the US military solved this problem for their new M-1A2s by adding "passive" armour to the turret.
It is emphasized that this armor most likely contains depleted uranium, which the USA does not export.
Before sending the M-1A1 to Ukraine, the Pentagon paid contractors to open up the tanks' turrets, remove the uranium and replace it with tungsten.
Hanging the ARAT armour on the Abrams tower is not so difficult.
California-based Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defence manufactures the ARAT "bricks," specifically describing them as "hull, skirt, or turret armour."
But the "bricks" are attached to the racks that tank manufacturer General Dynamics welds to the M-1.
It is unclear what contractors need to modify the surviving Ukrainian Abrams with racks, and the Pentagon to supply jet armor kits.
At the very least, it will take time — perhaps months.
How the Russian army is trying to improve its own "turtle tanks"
The occupying army of the Russian Federation is trying to improve the protection of the so-called "turtle tanks" for demining territories.
Among all the "turtle tanks", there is one that can be called the most perfect - it is a tank based on the 41-ton four-seater T-62. He first appeared in the east of Ukraine at the beginning of April.
It is noted that this tank is in service with the 20th Guards Motorised Rifle Division of the occupation army of the Russian Federation.
Journalists of the publication note that he showed himself quite well in the middle of minefields in the Mariinka area of the Donetsk region.
In any case, the tank was unlucky over the weekend when Ukrainian forces blew it up near Mariinka.
Like all turtle tanks, this one is equipped with additional metal anti-drone armor. It had rollers on the front to help detonate mines safely.
Unlike other skull tanks, the T-62 probably had the gun or even the entire turret removed.
This removal made sense, as turtle tanks are primarily demining vehicles to help lead assault teams through the demined grey area that usually separates Russian and Ukrainian lines.
In addition, the struts that support the tank's metal body limit the turret's rotation and almost do not blind the crew in any direction except straight ahead.
The authors of the material emphasise that the Russian occupiers are already using "aquariums" with turtles at the front.
During the first few weeks, the crews of the turtle tanks benefited from surprise, as well as from the severe shortage of artillery and missiles in the Ukrainian military.
The turtle tanks worked at first. In more than one skirmish, they successfully led Russian troops through minefields so that they could attack Ukrainian positions.
Self-made deminers were especially active in the Russian campaign near Chasiv Yar, west of Bakhmut.
Russian troops are increasingly using tanks and armored vehicles with welded metal plates for additional protection... and have regularly attacked at dawn and dusk, Ukraine's Center for Defence Strategies notes.
According to Rob Lee, an analyst from the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies in Philadelphia, despite the active mockery of such tanks in the occupation army of the Russian Federation, this is not madness.
Currently, the conditions on the battlefield have already changed, as the US unblocked aid to Ukraine and urgently sent several huge batches of artillery and anti-tank missiles to the front line.
At the same time, the Ukrainians have developed a heavier warhead for their larger FPV drones — presumably based on the warhead of the Swedish anti-tank missile.
In early May, Ukrainian brigades received significantly more lethal weapons. And turtle aquariums have become much more vulnerable.
The publication notes that one infamous aquarium turtle nicknamed "The Homosexual" ate a chain of mines and burned to death.
The crew abandoned her. The Ukrainian FPV shot down the gunless T-62.
It is not known if the drone was carrying one of the new heavy warheads, or if it was just a good hit.
In any case, "the death of turtles accelerates the decline of their species."
