A Blog by Jonathan Low

 

Jan 24, 2024

How Ukraine's M1A1 Abrams Tanks Make Other Armor More Effective

The M1's sensors, vision range, thermal acuity and digital zoom function gives it more intelligence and accuracy than any other tank operating on either side in Ukraine.

With this capability, it makes the other armored vehicles around it - and the infantry they are supporting - more deadly at a greater distance, thereby improving the effectiveness of an entire unit, not just itself. JL

David Axe reports in Forbes:

Ukraine’s 31 US-made M-1 Abrams enhance interoperability. With its thermal vision system, a four-person M-1 can detect targets up to five miles away—farther than all other main battle tanks in Russia's war on Ukraine. An M1 gunner should be able to identify it, too, thanks to the 50x digital zoom function. Pairing an Abrams with other vehicles also lends tremendous night-fighting capability. The M-1 high-fidelity thermal sights fights almost as well at night as it does during the day, out to several miles compared to the Russian T-72, whose thermal sights might work at a little over a mile. The M-1 enhances the situational awareness of other vehicle types and help them to fight around the clock.

The Ukrainians always have sought to use their Western-made tanks and fighting vehicles in conjunction with other tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. This was apparent during Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive, when German-made Leopard 2A4 and 2A6 and Soviet-style T-64 and T-72 tanks deployed alongside U.S.-supplied M-2 Bradley IFVs. Ukraine’s 31 American-made M-1 Abrams should, if anything, enhance this interoperability.

The Abrams has the best sensors of any tank in Ukrainian service. With its SADA-II thermal vision system, a 69-ton, four-person M-1 can detect targets up to five miles away—farther than all other main battle tanks in Russia’s 23-month wider war on Ukraine.

An M-1 gunner, peering through his SADA-II, also benefits from a 50-times digital zoom. That’s extremely useful on flat terrain. An Abrams gunner not only can detect a target from five miles away, he should be able to identify it, too, thanks to the zoom function.

Think of the M-1 as a sensor platform first, and a tank second. Imagine an Abrams with its SADA-II operating alongside Soviet-style MBTs with their less capable optics. An M-1 crew could detect targets at long range and pass the locations via radio to other Ukrainian crews.

 

There’s also a chance that Ukraine’s M-1s and M-2s come with the Blue Force Tracker: a GPS-based system that registers, on a digital map, the locations of friendly forces.

If Ukrainian Abrams and Bradleys can share situational awareness via their networked Blue Force Trackers rather than via voice radio, they might make a better team than, say, a Leopard 2 and a Bradley would make.

Pairing an Abrams with other vehicles also lends the team-up tremendous night-fighting capability. The M-1 with its high-fidelity thermal sights fights almost as well at night as it does during the day, out to distance of several miles. Contrast this with the Russian T-72B Obr. 2022 tank, whose own crude thermal sights might work at a range of little over a mile.

The Ukrainian armor corps began shifting to night operations as it inducted Leopard 2s early last year. Now that the corps’ 31 M-1s have arrived in Ukraine, this shift could accelerate.

Teaming up and deploying at night, the Ukrainian M-1 promises to enhance the situational awareness of other vehicle types—and help them to fight around the clock.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

"If Ukrainian Abrams and Bradleys can share situational awareness via their networked Blue Force Trackers"
I thought this guy knew what he was talking about????
There isnt a chance we gave Ukraine BluFor trackers...not a chance...

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