250 U.S. Made M1 Abrams Tanks Are Headed to Russia’s Doorstep

[rangerrebew]

 
250 U.S. Made M1 Abrams Tanks Are Headed to Russia’s Doorstep

By
Caleb Larson

Published
 

M1 Abrams Tank Poland
An M1A1 Abrams Tank fires off a round as a demonstration during 1st Tank Battalion’s Jane Wayne Spouse Appreciation Day aboard the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., April 3, 2018. The purpose of the event is to build resiliency in spiritual well being, the will to fight and a strong home life for the 1st Tanks Marines and their families. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Rachel K. Porter)

In a recent tweet, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak announced that Poland would acquire 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3, currently the most advanced version of the venerable M1 Abrams in production. Błaszczak minced no words when describing the usefulness of the Abrams platform, stating that the “Abrams will be stationed in eastern Poland. This is the best way to strengthen our defense potential.”

Old but Gold

The Abrams platform is by no means young: the first M1 Abrams entered service with the United States Army in 1980, though it has steadily been upgraded since its introduction.

The Abrams made its combat debut during the 1991 Gulf War. During that conflict, the Abrams more than proved its worth when pitted against Iraq’s old Soviet-era T-55 and T-62 tanks, as well as the much more modern and substantially more capable T-72 tank.

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/07/250-u-s-made-m1-abrams-tanks-are-headed-to-russias-doorstep/

[rangerrebew]

If the US sees no deterrence value in them, I doubt Russia does either.  But if you have nothing, they are better than that.  It reminds me Ethiopian soldiers on horseback battling Italian tanks.  The horse was a fine weapon at some point in history but was of little help in defending the country against the armored divisions of Italy.

[AARguy]

Javelins have gone a long way to making tanks obsolete. We have also given Poland Javelins. The words of an Iraqi tank Battalion Commander come to mind: "I came to Kuwait with 52 tanks. After 100 days of Coalition bombing I had 50. After twenty minutes against American M1 tanks... I had none."