Ukraine decommissioned its remaining M1 Abrams tanks earlier this year.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan acknowledged that the American-made M1 Abrams tanks, despite being touted as a potential game-changer, proved ineffective for the Ukrainian military in its conflict with Russia.
Following numerous requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House authorized the transfer of 31 M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine in January 2023—sufficient to equip a full tank battalion. President Biden asserted that these tanks would aid Ukraine in countering Russia’s evolving battlefield tactics. Several US media outlets hailed them as a potential game-changer ahead of Ukraine’s planned summer counteroffensive.
However, Sullivan stated at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California that this was not the case. When questioned about whether the Biden administration could have better prepared Ukraine for the counteroffensive by supplying more heavy weaponry, he cited the Abrams tanks as an example of unsuitable equipment. He explained that the Abrams tank units in Ukraine were undermanned because the tanks were not optimally suited for the conflict.
Following their deployment, the Russian Ministry of Defense released videos showing burning Abrams tanks. Reports indicate that as many as 20 of the 31 tanks sent to Ukraine in 2023 have been destroyed, leading Ukrainian commanders to withdraw the remaining tanks from service earlier this year, according to US officials.
The M1A1 variants delivered to Ukraine lacked depleted uranium armor, rendering them vulnerable to Russian drones and anti-tank missiles.
The M1 Abrams is one of the heaviest main battle tanks globally, weighing 60 tons (with the M1A2 variant exceeding 73 tons). A 1991 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, adjusted for inflation, estimates that an M1 Abrams costs over $450 per mile in fuel and maintenance.
The GAO report also indicated that M1 Abrams tanks require track replacement after approximately 710 miles and that engines typically fail catastrophically after 350 hours of operation.
Even before their delivery to Ukraine was authorized, US military officials cautioned that the Abrams tanks would be unsuitable for Ukraine’s needs.
“The challenge with the Abrams is, it’s expensive. It’s difficult to train on. It is very difficult to sustain. It has a huge, complicated turbine engine that requires jet fuel,” US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl warned in early January 2023. “Frankly, our assessment is just that the Abrams is not the right capability at this time.”