Ukrainian Armed Forces use Abrams tanks in a cunning way: what are the advantages of the new tactics

The Ukrainian Defense Forces are using Soviet and Western armored vehicles in combination at the front. Ukraine's defenders are coming up with various tactics to ensure that this military equipment successfully complements and reinforces each other during battles on the front line.

This is stated in an article by Forbes. According to the author of the article, the combination of Western and Soviet equipment in one battle became noticeable during the Armed Forces counteroffensive in the summer of 2023.

At that time, analysts noticed the use of German Leopard 2 tanks and American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles by Ukrainian troops alongside Soviet T-64 and T-72 tanks. Now, M-1 Abrams tanks, which were provided to Ukraine by Washington, have appeared on the front line. As noted, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have a small number of these tanks, but they have become very useful at the front.

Abrams tanks have the best sensor capabilities of any tank in service in Ukraine. That is why the M1 Abrams should be viewed not so much as a tank as a sensor platform.

Thanks to the SADA-II thermal imaging system, this tank could operate in conjunction with Soviet-style main battle tanks, whose optics are less functional. The Abrams crew can detect targets at a great distance and transmit their coordinates by radio to other Ukrainian crews.

"Abrams has the best sensors of any Ukrainian tank. Thanks to its SADA-II thermal imaging system, the 69-ton, four-man M-1 can detect targets up to five miles (8 km) away - further than all other main battle tanks in Russia's 23-month war against Ukraine," the article says.

In addition, there is a possibility that the American tanks and infantry fighting vehicles received by Ukraine are equipped with the Blue Force Tracker onboard system, which registers the location of friendly forces on a digital map.

"If Ukraine's Abrams and Bradley can share situational awareness via their Blue Force trackers rather than voice radio, they could be a better team than, say, a Leopard 2 and a Bradley," the publication writes.

The combination of the Abrams with other combat vehicles also gives the team excellent capabilities for night fighting. The M-1, with its high-quality thermal imaging sights, can see almost as well at night as it does during the day, at a distance of several miles. Instead, the Russian T-72B of the 2022 model has a rather primitive thermal imaging sight that works at a distance of less than two kilometers.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, during the four months of offensive operations near Avdiivka, Russian losses are already comparable to those of the USSR in the war in Afghanistan. This was stated by Serhiy Tsehotskyi, an officer of the 59th separate motorized infantry brigade named after Yakov Handziuk.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!