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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUkraine pulls US-provided Abrams tanks from the front lines over Russian drone threats
https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-abrams-tanks-19d71475d427875653a2130063a8fb7aUkraine pulls US-provided Abrams tanks from the front lines over Russian drone threats
By TARA COPP
Updated 11:08 PM CDT, April 25, 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press.
The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.
But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds.
Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks.
The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means there isnt open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection, a senior defense official told reporters Thursday.
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TheProle
(2,202 posts)Jesus.
WarGamer
(12,486 posts)modern warfare is drones and robots... Russians are using high speed ATV quads for combat movements.
Speed, mobility and lots of UAV's... welcome to 2024.
Xolodno
(6,406 posts)....in the comments, everyone was cheering. I saw something different, it was getting hit hard but still kept firing back and giving as good as it got. That shit scared me.
But, tanks are sort of obsolete. They are nothing more than mobile artillery platforms now. It's why Russia keeps the T-90's mostly out of direct combat and firing from afar. They send the older Soviet tanks into combat knowing full well many won't survive, but can't blame them. It costs money to dismantle them and they have been taking up space in storage, why not toss the lot of them and see what they can do? Maybe learn a thing or two along the way.