Ukraine (22 Viewers)

The article says M1, not M1A1 or M1A2. The photo appears to show an old original M1, not the longer turret variants. And it just so happens that the US Marine Corp who had 450 of them gave them back to the US Army in May of 2021 when they discontinued the use of tanks.

They have Chobham armor not depleted Uranium. They have a 105mm rifled gun instead of the 120mm smooth bore. The 105mm gun fires a newer beefed up version of the standard 105mm ammo which might not be a supply problem. I doubt that the Marine Corp ever got the classified equipment because they were the ones who were sent to third world hot spots with little notice where they wouldn't want the best top shelf technology being captured.

I doubt that those 450 tanks have been sold because they are too old, and nations who are buying tanks want the M1A1's and M1A2's with the more powerful guns.

So I would think we have 450 tanks for them. Hopefully we or the UK has the ammo to go with them. We might as well ship the whole lot to them, even the ones that don't run to them because some of them could be stripped for usable parts to fix the others, which would solve those logistics issues quite handily. And they can run on ordinary Diesel fuel, or Gasoline if they have to.

Another issue it solves is we could give them to Ukraine without accounting for it as a cost other than the shipping and scrap value because it's a shoe in that we intend to scrap them.

Another issue it solves is their weight, they weigh a lot less, they could travel over the portable bridges that Ukraine already has.
Not to go down the rabbit hole but DU armor is an addon or sandwich to most Chobham armor packs in the M1. However, I believe (needs verification) but US law prohibits the export of Depleted Uranium in some products, like tanks (to certain countries). Therefore, most but not all M1's exported have tungsten armor in place of DU. Chobham armor is a manufacturing process to harden the steel (again I believe) and then sandwiched with DU for US tanks and tungsten for export versions. Depending on which expert you speak with including Europeans the tungsten sandwich is just as effective as the DU. The reason most European tanks have tungsten is because the aversion to burning tanks loaded with radioactive DU all over Europe (in the event of WWIII). However, since US tanks have it, it's the price for US shouldering the defense of central Europe. I guess the thought of the Russian hordes advancing over the central European plains was enough to sway the Germans to allow DU armor in the US Tanks defending them. However, German tanks do not use DU armor.
Ukrainian tanks will most certainly not have DU armor (nor would they get DU sabot rounds) but may have tungsten.
Also I believe that the US Marines operated M1A1's upgraded to 120mm back in the Mid 2000's? So an "M1" might be a general media term for any "Abrams" tank. I would tend to think that the 105mm are a bit of a rare bird? Even back in the late 1990's the Guard was up gunning to M1A1's. I can't see the US supplying 105mm equipped tanks when the NATO standard is 120mm?
 
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UA special forces night raid yesterday on a RU forward base, via water landing. Wow!



FnRMfuSXEAAM9QV
 
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