While American tanks are arriving in Ukraine, the Russians are strengthening Moscow's defences
In early August, the United States officially approved the transfer of the first batch of Abrams tanks to Ukraine. It was originally planned that the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative would finance the transfer of new tanks and their purchase from the manufacturer. Now it has been decided to withdraw tanks from the reserves of the US Armed Forces.
Ukrainian soldiers have completed training on American M1 Abrams tanks
During the Russian-Ukrainian War, Ukraine sought to procure advanced tanks from Western countries. For the most part, Western countries had a positive attitude towards this procurement process. Including Germany, the UK and France had taken the necessary steps to send tanks to Ukraine. The USA, which initially showed reluctance to send M1 Abrams tanks in particular, later changed its attitude and decided to send these tanks to Ukraine. Subsequently, a plan was made for Ukrainian soldiers to receive user training on M1 Abrams tanks. Colonel Martin O'Donnell, spokesman for the US Army Europe and Africa, said that the army had recently completed one of the final stages of the training programme. According to O'Donnell, about 200 Ukrainians have completed practical as well as academic training on training tanks at US Army training facilities in Germany. The Ukrainian soldiers will serve in the American unit at Grafenwoehr in Germany until the M1 Abrams tanks are sent to Ukraine. In this way, it is aimed to increase their experience in using American tanks in a short time.
Around 200 Ukrainian soldiers who arrived in Germany at the end of May began training on American M1 Abrams tanks. The training programme included training not only the crews who would operate the tanks, but also the personnel who would maintain them.
In early August, the United States officially approved the transfer of the first batch of Abrams tanks to Ukraine. It was originally planned that the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative would finance the transfer and purchase of new tanks from the manufacturer. Now it has been decided to withdraw tanks from the reserves of the US Armed Forces. Therefore, the tanks to be withdrawn from the inventory of the American army will be overhauled and re-equipped before being sent to Ukraine.
In the meantime, the United States is expected to send to Ukraine depleted uranium shells for Abrams tanks. American sources claim that the use of such shells in Abrams tanks is a standard US practice.
The US is sending depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine
For the first time, the United States plans to send armour-piercing shells containing depleted uranium to Ukraine. This was reported by Reuters, citing its own sources. It was decided to send these shells together with the American Abrams tanks, which will be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
The tank ammunition is included as part of a package of new military aid to Ukraine. The tranche of defence assistance from the United States is estimated at between $240 million and $375 million. Tank armour-piercing shells and other weapons containing depleted uranium are being transferred directly from US Army reserves. In June, the White House announced its readiness to provide Ukraine with depleted uranium shells for Abrams tanks.
Earlier, Britain had sent ammunition containing depleted uranium to Ukraine for the Challenger 2 tanks. Prior to this, Putin had said, "If Britain sends shells containing uranium to Ukraine, we will have to react!" but nothing came of it. I believe that Putin's lack of reaction to the shells containing depleted uranium, which will now be sent with American tanks, indicates that the Russians may have taken some preventive measures.
It is known that depleted uranium is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process for use in nuclear energy. Although it is less radioactive than natural uranium, it is considered dangerous. The uranium core used in the production of tank shells is known for its high capacity to penetrate tank armour, and it is claimed that if it penetrates the tank, it can cause more damage to the crew and equipment inside the tank than normal shells. Although such shells, each weighing up to 10 kg, have been used for decades both in the US Army and in other countries around the world, the presence of 'uranium' in them is a problem in itself. The presence of a 70 cm rod of depleted uranium used in the projectile causes discomfort. Such a 25 mm projectile with an initial velocity of 1,550 m/s can penetrate at least 700 mm of tank armour at a distance of 2 km. It is known that the latest version of this projectile, designated as M829A4 in the US Army inventory, has been improved to penetrate even thicker tank armour.
USA Starts Production of AIM-120 Air Air Missiles for Ukraine
The United States Department of Defence has ordered AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. The announcement was published on the Pentagon's website. In particular, Ukraine wanted to acquire these medium-range missiles as part of military assistance from the United States. The contract with Raytheon Missiles and Defence is worth 192 million dollars. According to the contract, the production of all missiles is expected to be completed by 31 January 2027. The first batch of AMRAAMs is planned to be delivered to Ukraine first, and the AMRAAMs will be used in the Danish and Dutch F-16s that will be delivered to this country in the spring of 2024.
How many AMRAAMs will be transferred to Ukraine has not yet been announced. The AIM-120 missile is used by the US Army on almost all modern combat aircraft. AIM-120 missiles are also used as anti-aircraft missiles for the Norwegian-American NASAMS air defence system.
Belgium continues to supply Ukraine with military equipment
Meanwhile, Belgium plans to supply Ukraine with around 320 Volvo trucks and 80 Lynx (Iveco LML) armoured vehicles by the end of the year. The vehicles will be delivered after undergoing repairs. Brussels also announced that an additional batch of 90 Volvo N10 trucks will be shipped in the near future. Belgium has so far delivered around 150 trucks of this type to Ukraine in five batches. The transfer of vehicles to Ukraine is part of a decision taken after the Belgian Army's fleet of armoured vehicles was replaced by modern Falcon vehicles and DAF Buffalo trucks, in order to deplete the old vehicle park. The war was in a sense an opportunity for this.
Conclusion
American M1 Abrams tanks are not expected to change the course of the war on the Russian-Ukrainian front, which has now turned into a war of attrition. Likewise, no one expects the F-16 fighters that will be transferred from Denmark and the Netherlands to bring Russia to its knees. Ukraine's counter-attacks are not likely to yield any results. Nevertheless, the Western world, which has been seeking to reinforce the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the war, sees this kind of military aid as an opportunity both to renew its own weapons and equipment and to show solidarity with Ukraine. On the other hand, Russia has begun to deploy Pantsir SAM systems around the city to reinforce Moscow's defences and, in particular, to protect the capital against Ukrainian drone attacks. This defence measure is remarkable in the sense that it shows that the war will not be limited to Ukrainian territory, but may spread.
