First Abrams tanks may arrive in Ukraine in September
The first US Abrams tanks may appear on the battlefield in Ukraine in September 2023.
Source: Politico with a reference to informed sources
Details: Politico said the US plans to send several Abrams to Germany in August, where the tanks will undergo final modification. After the process is finished, the tanks will be sent to Ukraine in September.
The first batch of Abrams will include six to eight tanks, a defence department official and a US official told Politico. In total, the US plans to send 31 tanks, which is equal to one Ukrainian battalion.
"We’re definitely working to get them to Ukraine as fast as we can," Pentagon spokesperson Colonel Martin O'Donnell told Politico, refusing to discuss specific terms.
According to one of Politico's sources, the first batch of modified tanks has been done, but it is unclear whether the US will have time to complete all the necessary work by the end of August.
Politico noted the Ukrainian military must complete a training course lasting approximately 10 weeks at the Grafenwoehr army base in Germany before they can start operating the tanks. A Pentagon official said the Ukrainians plan to complete this training in August.
Background:
- In January 2023, US President Joe Biden announced his intention to transfer 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
- The United States is removing some sensitive technology from Abrams tanks, which it plans to send to Ukraine, as it fears that it could fall into the hands of the Russian army on the battlefield.
- Thus, Ukraine will receive an older modification of tanks – M1A1, not A2.
- In May, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said that Ukraine will receive Abrams tanks in early autumn. The training programs for the Ukrainian military to operate tanks will also be completed at that time.
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