Following recent reports, along with viralized images and videos, it has been confirmed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost more than half of their fleet of M1A1 SA Abrams tanks, provided by the United States, during combat operations. Most of the documented losses are concentrated in the Kursk region, in the context of the Ukrainian counteroffensive launched at the beginning of August, recording both the destruction and the capture of some tanks by Russian Ground Forces.
After several requests and intense negotiations, in early January 2023, the U.S. government confirmed the transfer of a batch of M1 Abrams tanks to equip the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This announcement complemented similar pledges made by the United Kingdom and Germany, which also committed to providing Challenger 2 and Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine.
Later, as the months passed before their arrival at the end of last year, it was confirmed that the shipment consisted of the M1A1 SA version of the Abrams, comprising a total of 31 units. However, their introduction into the conflict did not bring about a dramatic shift in the overall situation. Like their European and Russian counterparts, the widespread use of loitering munitions and artillery fire support severely limited their effectiveness on the battlefield.
As weeks went by, the first confirmed loss of an M1A1 SA occurred in February during combat near Avdiivka. The situation worsened, and by May, U.S. sources reported that Ukrainian high command had temporarily withdrawn the tanks from the front lines.
As of today, various sources confirm that out of the original 31 units, 14 have been destroyed, and several have been captured by Russian Ground Forces, which displayed the captured tanks in Moscow during a public exhibition of Western equipment. It is expected that the participation of Abrams-equipped units in Kursk is further increasing the number of losses, with more tanks being destroyed or captured by Russian forces.
The fate of the Ukrainian Abrams tanks reflects the broader trend of a conflict that highlights the vulnerability of main battle tanks (MBTs) in high-intensity warfare. In this scenario, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, combined with large-scale artillery fire and the lack of air superiority on either side, forces a reevaluation of the deployment of combat vehicles.
To cite some figures, of the 21 Leopard 2A6 tanks transferred from Germany, 12 have been destroyed or damaged, while of the 40 Leopard 2A4s provided by European allies, 21 have also been lost. Proportionally, the situation is even worse for the Stridsvagn 122 (the Swedish variant of the Leopard 2), as seven of the ten transferred have been lost. Lastly, regarding the British Army’s pride, the Challenger 2, two out of the 12 units transferred have been lost in combat.
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