Ukraine is currently withdrawing US-provided Abrams M1A1 tanks from the front line. Part of the reason is that Russian drones make their work difficult.
Ukraine withdraws Abrams tanks from the battlefield due to the threat of Russian drones
The publication notes that the Ukrainian military received 31 Abrams tanks from the United States in January 2023.
They were used to break through Russian defense lines. But since then, the battlefield has changed significantly, in particular thanks to the widespread use of reconnaissance and strike drones by the occupiers. This made it difficult for Ukraine to protect tanks, the agency writes with reference to two military sources.
According to AP, five of the 31 tanks have already been lost.
The proliferation of drones on the battlefield means that "there is no open area that you can just drive through without fear of being spotted," a senior defence official explained.
Currently, the tanks have been moved from the front line. The US will work with the Ukrainians to change tactics, said Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Christopher Grady, as well as a third US military official who confirmed the move on condition of anonymity.
"If you think about how warfare is evolving, mass armor in an environment with ubiquitous UAS can be at risk," Grady said, adding that tanks are still important.
What is known about the vulnerability of Abrams tanks
According to journalists from The New York Times, they have vulnerabilities where their heavy plate armour is thinnest, including on the turret's roof, in the rear of the engine block and the space between the hull and the turret.
For many years, mines, improvised explosive devices, grenade launchers and shoulder-launched shoulder-fired anti-tank guided missiles have been used against them.
They were widely used at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, as they could hit tanks from above and hit them 90% of the time.
However, the drones currently used against tanks in Ukraine are even more accurate and can be targeted to hit tanks in the most vulnerable locations. Also, in several cases, FPV drones were directed to "finish off" tanks that had already been damaged by mines or anti-tank missiles in such a way that they could not be removed from the battlefield and repaired.
In September 2023, the head of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that the Armed Forces would use American Abrams tanks for well-prepared breakthrough operations.
