Why Is the M1 Abrams So Special?

The insane engineering of the M1 Abrams and the lack of proper training by the Ukrainian military to date says Ukraine will most likely suffer even more casualties, much heavier than even now

A 26-minute Breakdown of the Abrams Tank

The M1 Abrams entered service in 1980 - a fast, heavily armored tank with the very latest technologies to give it every advantage on the battlefield.

First seeing action in Operation Desert Storm, the plain arid camouflaged tank gained a reputation quickly in the barren deserts of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Powered by a high speed turbine engine, the M1 raced across this difficult terrain to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation.

The German designed 120mm smoothbore cannon had longer range, more accurate fire, and more advanced ammunition.

It easily dispatched the lower-tech soviet supplied tanks of the Iraqi Army.

Sometime this year (2023), it’s expected that the US will deliver a battalion of 31 M1 Abram tanks to Ukraine to once again face off against the Soviet tanks it was designed to battle.

The Ukrainian Army will need training to maintain and operate these new tanks, because it’s unlike any other tank.

And although this tank is more than 40 years old, it's still more than capable of holding its own on the battlefield, thanks to continual modernisation and forward thinking design.

This is the insane engineering of the M1 Abrams.

But, there’s a catch…

Our Own Perspective

Whenever high-tech equipment ends up in the hands of military personnel that lack the proper and full training required to operate such equipment, there is a high-level of self-inflicted casulaties in addition to those usually gained from the battles of war.

Training soldiers to use tanks typically involves theoretical classroom instruction, participation in simulated scenarios, and, of course, hands-on training with the actual vehicle.

THAT doesn’t happen with a war already in progress, especially where one side is losing 6 of its soldiers to every 1 of the enemy.

The amount of time it takes to train a soldier to use an Abrams tank can vary depending on the individual’s prior experience and aptitude, as well as the specific training program being followed.

In general, it can take several weeks to several months to train a soldier to operate an Abrams tank at a basic level.

And even after the initial training is finished, soldiers usually continue to receive additional training and practice to maintain their skills and proficiency with the vehicle.

In the case of Ukraine, training to use American Abrams tanks would also pose a question about the location of the training grounds.

Performing training in the territory of the U.S. would be a very tempting option but not effective in the long term, because the aim is to achieve the highest possible autonomy for the Ukrainian Army.

Therefore, a more realistic scenario would be to conduct such training in one of the European NATO members.

To train Ukrainian tank crewmen and service personnel would take at least 3 months - and that is just to the most basic of levels.

It is difficult to expect any more “acceleration” in the training process.

We are nearly 100% certain that the crew training would be conducted as close as possible to the territory of Ukraine.

And given the Ukrainian mililtary personnel have a lifespan of less than 4 hours once on the front line, they are going to need a LOT of men willing to step inside a tank even if it is an Abrams.

But it still won’t matter in the long run.

We say this as given the history of the lack of training provided by the Ukrainian military services to even the most basic of battle ground strategies, the Ukrainian President as well the the Ukrainian military have shown they prefer to play a numbers game instead of implementing a solid strategy.

And in such game, strategy always wins - Abrams M1 or not…

Technology being used by an inept military just can’t overcome an enemy that is already making the gains such as Russia has already made.

The ONLY hope Ukraine has is for NATO and other countries to step in, assume command, and fight the war for them.

And so far, no one is willing to face Putin with such a tactic as he will annilihate them without a second thought - using whatever means possible.

Sources:
Air Force Times | Technology.org