Victory's Arsenal: "Armoured Fist"

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Allies have provided Ukraine with about 50 types of armoured vehicles, ranging from light armoured personnel carriers and MRAPs of various modifications to infantry fighting vehicles and third-generation main battle tanks. And while in 2022, the range of supplies was dominated by modernised Soviet equipment from European warehouses, in 2023, amid expectations of a counter-offensive and a corresponding request from the Ukrainian side, supplies began to include relatively modern models of vehicles in service with NATO members.

As for the actual transfer of tanks to the Ukrainian Defence Forces, negotiations on this track were rather sluggish at first. Washington and Berlin nodded at each other on the issue of the first step, citing the risk of further escalation. But the matter was ultimately settled by the position of the UK government, which decided to provide Ukraine with a tank company of its Challenger 2s in the first half of January. After that, U.S. officials began to voice their plans to supply Ukraine with Abrams more boldly, and later Berlin, which had been extremely cautious until then, gave in.

This was the start of the formation of the so-called "tank coalition", which was later joined by Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Denmark, and Poland, which agreed to host hubs for the maintenance and repair of Leopard 2 tanks. The promised components of the "armoured fist" began to arrive in Ukraine in the spring of 2023, and before the start of the summer counter-offensive, Ukraine had more than 80 Leopard 2s in 2A4s, 2A5s (Strv 122s), 2A6s and 14 Challenger 2s, which were used in direct combat with the aggressor's forces in the south of the country.

Abrams M1A1 

Meanwhile, 31 Abrams M1A1 tanks in the Situational Awareness (SA) version, which were supposed to become the "pearl" of the tank coalition, actually arrived in Ukraine only in October. This was due to bureaucratic delays and the US desire to preserve secret technologies.

The Abrams M1A1 is a third-generation main battle tank produced by the United States, which has been in mass production since 1980. In 2010, this modification was upgraded to the SA version by installing more advanced sights and surveillance equipment and digital solutions that significantly increased the crew's situational awareness on the battlefield.

The tank is equipped with the 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun, which is based on the development of the German company Rheinmetall (the same gun is used in the German Leopard 2). It is capable of firing various types of ammunition: sub-calibre, cumulative, high-explosive, concrete-piercing and buckshot. The effective range of a standard ammunition is 2.5 km, while armour-piercing ammunition can reach up to 4 km. In particular, the M829 sub-calibre ammunition with a depleted uranium core (A3 modification) is capable of penetrating at least 700 mm of homogeneous armour at a distance of 2 km. The active armour of the Kontakt-5, which is predominantly used in Russian vehicles, is unable to withstand the force of these shots.

But Abrams is widely known primarily for its innovative armour, the composition of which is still classified. It is known that it is formed from several layers of different alloys of armour steel, ceramics, plastic composites and Kevlar. According to some reports, the frontal armour reaches 900 mm in the equivalent of homogeneous armour To strengthen the strength of the protection, depleted uranium mesh is also used, but it is not installed on vehicles that the US sells for export or gives to its allies. Additionally, especially in urban combat, the tank is fitted with dynamic protection in potentially vulnerable areas.

The version of the M1A1 SA that has been delivered to Ukraine is equipped with the FBCB2 tactical information system with the Blue Force Tracking module, which provides the crew with real-time data on the combat situation.

Despite its considerable weight, the Honeywell AGT1500C has excellent manoeuvrability thanks to its gas turbine engine and is capable of reaching speeds of 72 km on the road and 48 km off-road.

The Abrams has not yet been used on the battlefield in Ukraine, which is likely due to the reluctance of the Ukrainian command to risk this rather heavy tank in the autumn off-road conditions. However, this vehicle, which has proven its high combat capability on the battlefields of the Middle East, will certainly significantly enhance the capabilities of Ukrainian mechanised units even if it does not become a game changer.

Stridsfordon 90 armoured personnel carrier (CV90)

Along with tanks, the allies have also strengthened Ukraine's military capabilities by providing a variety of medium and heavy armoured vehicles. Currently, Ukrainian units operate the legendary American Bradley armoured personnel carriers, German Marder, British Wolfhound and Bulldog armoured personnel carriers, Australian Bushmaster, Polish Rosomak, French AMX-10 wheeled tanks and many other NATO models. Among them, the Swedish Stridsfordon 90 (or CV90), which is the most advanced weapon in this class, stands out, and has been transferred to Ukraine. In February, the Swedish government pledged to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a total of 51 such vehicles (including command vehicles and BREMs), and in July, the first vehicles were spotted in the Lyman sector, and later in the Bakhmut sector.

The CV90 has one of the most advanced solutions for crew protection. Passive armour protects against shells of up to 30 mm calibre. In addition to passive protection, Barracuda multispectral camouflage is used to reduce the vehicle's visibility for infrared and radar scanning. The vehicle is also equipped with the Defensive Aid Suite system, which classifies targets, warns of threats, and provides manoeuvring instructions while deploying countermeasures to avoid an attack.

The CV90 is equipped with a 40 mm Bofors automatic cannon that can fire at a range of up to 3 km.

The vehicle has proven itself on the battlefield and has received positive feedback from the Ukrainian military. Only 4 vehicles were damaged in combat and only one of them was captured by the enemy. The positive experience of operating the CV90 has led to Ukraine's desire to purchase 1,000 of these vehicles. The respective intentions were confirmed at the highest official level in a separate memorandum.

This winter, Ukraine estimated its own needs for a successful counter-offensive in tanks only at the level of 300-500 units. Actual deliveries from the Allies, taking into account Soviet upgraded models, did not even reach the 300-unit mark. At the same time, the deliveries were irregular and extended in time. As a result, the Ukrainian offensive campaign began late, giving the occupying forces more time to set up fairly strong fortifications. All of this, coupled with the lack of decisive air superiority, ultimately led to Ukraine's moderate success in de-occupying its own territories. Nevertheless, the losses of Western armoured vehicles during this year's campaign were minimal, and they coped with their main function of saving the lives of soldiers perfectly.

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In the next article, we will talk about air defence systems that have protected Ukrainian cities. Read more about the anti-tank missile systems that helped the Ukrainian Armed Forces stop Russian hordes on the outskirts of Kyiv in spring 2022 here.