Ukraine pulls US-supplied Abrams tanks from frontline due to drone threats

WASHINGTON — Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-supplied Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for the time being in its fight against Russia, in part because Russia’s drone war has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or being attacked, two U.S. military officials said. officials told The Associated Press. .

The US agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive months-long campaign by Kiev, arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million each, were critical to the ability to break Russian lines to break through.

But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, especially with the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. These weapons have made it harder for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or grenades.

Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks.

The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means that “there is no open terrain that you can just drive over without fear of detection,” a senior defense official told reporters on Thursday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to provide an update on U.S. arms support to Ukraine ahead of Friday’s meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

The US will work with Ukraine to reset tactics

For now, the tanks have been moved from the front lines and the U.S. will work with the Ukrainians to reset tactics, said Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a third defense official who confirmed the move on condition of anonymity. .

“If you think about the way the battle has evolved, mass armor in an environment where unmanned aerial systems are ubiquitous could be at risk,” Grady told the AP in an interview this week, adding that tanks are still important.

“Now there’s a way to do it,” he said. “We will work with our Ukrainian partners and other partners on the ground to help them think about how to use that, in such a changed environment now, where everything is immediately visible.”

The news of the tanks on the sidelines comes as the U.S. marks the two-year anniversary of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of about 50 countries that meets monthly to assess Ukraine’s battlefield needs and determine where the munitions needed , weapons or maintenance can be found to preserve the Ukrainian tanks. troops equipped.

Recent aid packages, including the $1 billion military aid package that President Joe Biden signed on Wednesday, also reflect a broader reset for Ukraine’s armed forces in the evolving battle.

The U.S. is expected to announce on Friday that it will also provide about $6 billion in long-term military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. officials said, adding that it will also include much-sought munitions for Patriot air defense systems. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not yet been made public.

New US funding for counter-drone capabilities

The $1 billion package emphasized drone capabilities, including .50-caliber bullets specifically adapted to counter drone systems; additional air defense and ammunition; and a host of alternative and cheaper vehicles, including Humvees, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles.

The US has also confirmed for the first time that it is delivering long-range ballistic missiles known as ATACMs, which would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian-held territories without advancing further and being further exposed to drone detection or reinforced Russian defenses.

While drones pose a significant threat, the Ukrainians also have not adopted tactics that could have made the tanks more effective, one of the U.S. defense officials said.

After announcing in January 2023 that it would supply Ukraine with the Abrams tanks, the US began training Ukrainians in how to maintain and operate them at the Grafenwoehr Army Base in Germany that spring. They also taught the Ukrainians how to use them in combined arms warfare – where the tanks operate as part of a system of advancing armored forces, coordinating movements with offensive fire, infantry forces and air power.

As the spring progressed and Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive ground to a halt, the shift from tank training in Germany to getting Abrams on the battlefield was seen as a necessity to break the fortified Russian lines. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on his Telegram channel in September that the Abrams had arrived in Ukraine.

Since then, however, Ukraine has deployed them only to a limited extent and has not made combined arms war part of its operations, the defense official said.

During the recent withdrawal from Avdiivka, a city in eastern Ukraine that was the focus of heavy fighting for months, several tanks were lost to Russian attacks, the official said.

A long delay by Congress in approving new funding for Ukraine meant that the armed forces had to ration ammunition, and in some cases they were only able to return fire once out of five or more times they were targeted by Russian forces.

In Avdiivka, Ukrainian forces were heavily outgunned and fought back against Russian glide bombs and hunter-killer drones with whatever ammunition they had left.

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