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| Preparing for Counterattack, Ukrainian Army Starts Training With M1A1 Abrams Tanks in Germany |
International Military - The US Department of Defense has announced the arrival of 31 prospective crew and mechanics for the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank (MBT) from Ukraine. The US-led direct training for the crew and mechanics of the tank was carried out in a few weeks at Grafenwoehr, Germany.
Previously, in January 2023, the US Government announced its plans to deliver an advanced variant of the M1A2 to Ukraine. However, in March 2023, the US Department of Defense decided to ship the M1A1 variant already in inventory to shorten the timeline.
It was stated that the M1A1 variant has very similar capabilities to the M1A2. This tank is equipped with the main armament in the form of a 120 mm L/44 M256 smoothbore cannon with 40 rounds. Secondary armament is a 12.7 mm M2HB heavy machine gun with 900 rounds and a 7.62 mm machine gun with 10,400 rounds.
The tank, which weighs more than 63 tons, is powered by a 1,500 shp Honeywell AGT1500 multi-fuel turbine engine. Its maximum speed on flat roads reaches 72 km/hour and has an operating range of around 426 km. The US government will deliver 31 combat-ready M1A1s this fall to Ukraine.