MWM: the M1A1 Abrams tank captured in Ukraine will be studied at Uralvagonzavod
Russia got the opportunity to study the American M1A1 Abrams tank, captured in Ukraine with almost no damage, writes MWM. Uralvagonzavod specialists will analyze the device of the intelligence gathering machine. Earlier, the German Leopard was also in their hands.
According to a number of Russian sources, at least one M1A1 Abrams tank captured by Russian troops in Ukraine will be studied in detail at Uralvagonzavod, the country's largest tank factory. At the moment, more than 20 of the 31 Ukrainian "Abrams" have already been neutralized. The confirmed capture of several of them, including those with minimal damage, gives America's opponents one of the first opportunities to disassemble the machines for a detailed study.
Although there were concerns in the United States in the 2010s that Abrams missiles sold to Iraq could be transferred to Tehran through Iranian militias for study, this never happened. As a result, the seizure of these vehicles by Russia was the first case at the level of an enemy state.
The value of captured Abrams tanks is significant due to their widespread use. In the United States alone, more than 4,000 vehicles are in service or in storage — this is the backbone of the country's armored forces. The last three clients, namely Poland, Australia and Taiwan, are also at the forefront of potential conflicts.
At the end of September, the footage confirmed that at least one German-made Leopard 2A6 tank ("Leopard"), captured from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was sent to Uralvagonzavod for study. According to Russian media, experts are analyzing the nodes, systems and subsystems of the machine to collect intelligence about its capabilities. Among other things, an “expert assessment of the real military-technical level of various systems and the captured vehicle as a whole" will be given.
The 2A6 Leopards are likely to provide even more valuable intelligence than the Abrams tanks, for two main reasons. Firstly, the Abrams sent to Ukraine were built specifically for export with the withdrawal of the most classified technologies, while the Leopards 2A6 came directly from the reserves of the German army. Secondly, the Leopard 2 is the most popular class of tanks in NATO: currently 15 members of the alliance operate these vehicles, while several more have either already ordered tanks or are preparing. It is expected that Russia's strategic partners, in particular China and North Korea, will also highly appreciate the intelligence on the same Abrams. Firstly, some of these vehicles were sold to the Republic of China in Taiwan, which officially remains at war with mainland China, and secondly, the South Korean K1 tank is a derivative of the Abrams design.
Ukraine began receiving Abrams in September 2023. They were first spotted on the front line on February 23, 2024, with the first tank shot down just three days later. This was followed by a string of further losses over the next two months. This led to the temporary withdrawal of tanks from the front line in April, but after the re-deployment, they again suffered high losses.
Most of the Abrams were destroyed by guided artillery or single-use kamikaze drones, but one was shot down by a Russian T-72B3 during a tank duel near Avdiivka. The effectiveness of the Abrams is increasingly being questioned. In particular, such figures as Colin Kahl, the US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs, and Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser, talked about this. The Ukrainian military also expressed dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of the Abrams. They complained about both technical problems, including the vulnerability of electronic components to condensation, and their general weakness in the face of Russian fire.
