These shortcomings allowed them to be hit, including with T-55 tanks during the conflict in Iraq, said Candidate of Military Sciences Sergey Suvorov.MOSCOW, January 26.
/tass/. American M1 Abrams tanks, which Washington decided to transfer to Kiev as military assistance, have vulnerabilities that allowed it to be hit during the conflict in Iraq with the help of Soviet weapons, including T-55 tanks. Also, these machines have low maintainability in the field and are poorly adapted to operation in dusty terrain, as in Ukraine. Such an explanation in an interview with TASS was given by an expert in the field of armored vehicles, candidate of military sciences, colonel of the reserve Sergey Suvorov.
As Suvorov said, Abrams repeatedly demonstrated their vulnerability during the fighting in Iraq. "According to the experience of combat use in Iraq, they "burned". There was a penetration of the tower by a 100-millimeter armor-piercing blunt-headed shell of the T-55 tank. <...> There were cases of Abrams being hit from automatic BMP guns: both Bradley and our BMP-2," he said.
There are also cases, according to him, of the destruction of an American car with the help of the first Soviet modifications of T-72 tanks with old shells, "which were removed from service even before Abrams began to think. In addition, Suvorov cited the situations of their destruction by Soviet RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launchers.
The weak point of later modifications of American cars was an additional power plant for powering modern electronic systems, located in the rear of the tower. "It was covered with armor that holds automatic bullets, but there is no DShK 12.7 mm machine gun. It was hit from the DShK, the engine was smashed, oil and fuel caught fire and flowed down to the main engine located below. The main engine caught fire, then the tank itself caught fire and as a result burned to the ground," the agency interlocutor explained.
In case of entering into a duel with Russian tanks, the American car has almost no chance, the expert is sure. "If Abrams leans out at a great distance, and the crew of the T-72 or T-90 can use an anti-tank missile, then consider that Abrams will not be able to shoot already. The firing range will not allow him," he said. At the same time, according to him, the ultimate effectiveness of US vehicles depends on the ability of commanders to use them, as well as the training of their crews.
In addition to the fact that Abrams require refueling with pure aviation kerosene, they also have more serious operational disadvantages, in particular, they are not repairable in the field. "The most important point is the repair. <...> If something breaks in the power unit, it is removed from the tank, taken to a specialized workshop with highly qualified personnel, undocked with the gearbox, and after that work is done with it," Suvorov said.
Another drawback, the expert called the air supply system of machines developed in the USA. "Their air filter works according to the principle of the automobile: if it is clogged, then it must be pulled out and cleaned. And we have cyclonic dust removal systems on all tanks - it was done cunningly," the source said and added that during the Iraqi campaign, Abrams filters were enough for 15 minutes of movement in dust conditions. He suggested that this could become a significant obstacle to the use of these machines in the area of the special operation: "While winter is still nothing. But in the summer in Ukraine, the dust is good."
The military expert also pointed out that, firstly, because of the Abrams separate loading system, its rate of fire begins to fall after the first three or four shots. Secondly, its very implementation in the American car is inferior to that of other Western tanks and will further reduce the effectiveness of the crew. "If in Leopard the loader stands at full height, then in Abrams they chased a decrease in the height of the tank, and there the loader works bent double, it's not quite comfortable," he explained.
US President Joe Biden said on January 25 that Washington had decided to transfer 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Kiev. Earlier, Germany and Poland made the decision to supply German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. It was also reported about Britain's intention to transfer Challenger 2 tanks to Kiev.