America’s Abrams tanks are failing on the battlefield in Ukraine as Russia has labelled them “empty tin cans”.
The US donated 31 Abrams to Ukraine last year in a move heralded as a potential game changer for Kyiv in its fight against Russia.
Ukraine had been complaining that its old soviet-era tanks were getting stuck in mud, not firing and constantly breaking down. But the superior US models appear to be faring little better in practice.
Speaking to CNN, Ukrainian crews working on the tanks say the Abram M1s are not as robust as touted. “Its armour is not sufficient for this moment,” said one crew member with the callsign Joker.
“It doesn’t protect the crew. For real, today this is the war of drones. So now, when the tank rolls out, they always try to hit them.”
The tanks usually come equipped with “secret” uranium armour, but the US donated modified versions with Chobham armour, the composite ceramic and steel protective material developed in Britain in the 1960s. The move was likely made out of fears the uranium armour could end up in Russian hands.
Ukrainian crews say the fundamental problem is that the Abrams were built for advances aided by air power and artillery, which Ukraine lacks.
Russia, meanwhile, continues to make heavy use of drones in its attacks, which the Abrams struggle to defend against.
Drones can quickly detect and hunt the tanks, leaving them exposed. One driver told CNN he lost a leg when the tank’s armour was penetrated.
In addition, said the crew, the tanks have been beset by engine problems and, in rain and fog, electrical malfunctions caused by internal condensation.
Ukraine has quietly withdrawn some of its Abrams from the front line to avoid the threat of drones. One senior US official told The Telegraph last month there was not any open ground where they could drive undetected.
The tanks’ inability to live up to their reputation as among the strongest in the world, costing $10 million (£8.5 million) each and capable of taking out Russian tanks at a range of 1.9 miles (3km), has been quickly seized on by the Kremlin. In Russia, pundits have described the tanks as “empty tin cans”. One captured model has been displayed as a trophy from the battlefield in Moscow’s Red Square.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian defence ministry told CNN that “Ukraine is now testing and improving equipment that was not initially prepared for our war”.
“We are asking all countries to support us with equipment of any technical capacity levels. We use all of it accordingly.”
The first batch of Abrams arrived in Ukraine in September last year, which Kyiv hoped would help its forces exploit breaches in Russian lines during its counteroffensive.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said at the time: “Abrams are already in Ukraine and are preparing to reinforce our brigades.
“I am grateful to the allies for fulfilling the agreements. We are looking for new contracts, expanding the geography of supply.”
Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, warned the same week that the tanks would not last long if they were simply thrown against multi-layered Russian defences.
“They should be used in a very tailored way for very specific, well-crafted operations because if they are used at the front line and just in a combined arms fight, they will not live very long on the battlefield,” he said.
“They need to be used in those breakthrough operations, but very well-prepared.”
Former senior US military figures told US media that the Abrams would need various support elements – such as artillery support – to be effective.
Ben Hodges, a retired general who formerly commanded the US army in Europe, suggested that Moscow would try to target the tanks with “precision strikes”.
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