The US military should start training Ukrainians on tanks M1A1 Abrams “In the next week or so,” he said on Tuesday Phua Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder.

How will the training of Ukrainian soldiers work

From what we know about him 250 Ukrainian soldiers An unnamed senior military official added that they will arrive in Germany this week for the training, which will be carried out on some 31 Abrams aircraft that arrived in Germany earlier this month. The Pentagon said that a batch of 31 more tanks are being modified in the United States and will be delivered to Ukraine. by fall. According to US defense sources, the training should go on for approx 10 weeks It will focus on how to operate and how to use the Abrams in combat alongside other support assets (eg Bradley AIFVs) without forgetting how to carry out vital maintenance activity, something very special to the Abrams given its tank characteristics.

In fact, the Abrams, unlike the Russian/Soviet-made tanks or the Leopard 2 and Challenger 2 that have supplied Kiev in recent months, is propelled by Turbine enginesSo above all there is a need for the technical staff to know how to carry out maintenance, which is conceptually different from that of a conventional internal combustion engine (diesel and multi-fuel) trolley.

Phua It is reported that the course structure will be similar to previous training activity conducted by US personnel teaching the Ukrainians how to use Bradleys and Strykers, but we believe that due to the complexity of the tanks involved, the times could be longer than anticipated.

In fact, we know that training Ukrainian crews to use Leopard 2 tanks takes a long time about 5 weeksand in that period of time 28 soldiers were trained (four for each tank), but the excellent results obtained in the training were obtained precisely because the Leopard 2 in theory is very similar to the T-72/80/90 from Abrams, In fact, the number of people who will be trained is greater (because the people who will carry out the maintenance need completely different training) and the time has doubled.

In mid-April, we calculated that at best estimates, ie assuming that training in other countries training Ukrainians to use Leopard 2s had begun in the same period of time, NATO could have trained Ukrainian personnel capable of conducting 21 battle Leopard 2s, so the day would be ready for the biggest possible number. We don’t know exactly how many of the 250 soldiers from Kiev who arrived in Germany for Abrams training are crews and how many maintenance technicians, but if the US expects to send its first 31 operational tanks by fall, knowing that. It is easy to calculate the Abrams led by 4 people 124 men Belonging to the crews and the rest of the technical staff.

The importance of the time factor

there timing The dispatch of American tanks and the commencement of training was fairly quick: once the political problem was resolved, A.J beginning of april established a place to train Ukrainian personnel and began preparing all the necessary structures and equipment, while the first Abrams arrived in Europe, in the German port of Bremerhaven, May 12thand reach the US Army base Grafnohr, the largest US ground training facility in Europe. It is now necessary to clarify some aspects regarding Abrams.

The camper is certainly among the best in the world, but its turbocharged thrust makes it “brittle” if the correct maintenance is not done, and it has high fuel consumption; Further it is megabytes (Main battle tank) Who has endowments different from his peers, such as owning a shield In the turret, front of the hull and other vital parts with advanced composite armor of the type Chobham reinforced with Depleted uranium core. A unique solution that could prove problematic for issues related to technological security if it were to end up in Russia’s hands.

Let’s start now by considering the delivery dates for the 31 combat-modified Abrams tanks. The time horizon set at the beginning of fall would put them out of potential use in the counter-offensive that Kiev is organizing (and has been promoting for months). On the contrary, it is more likely that the first Leopard 2 and Challenger 2, although not in large numbers, can be used by armored/mechanized units if the Ukrainian military decides to move between now and next summer. When data on the training rate of Ukrainian Leopard 2 crews was released in April, we calculated that a goal of having 100 available for combat could be set. 20 weeksor in a time range from August to October (considering broad).

We have no way of knowing whether Ukrainian personnel are undergoing Abrams training elsewhere in Europe (Poland has 42 currently in service), nor can we confirm if the same is true of the Leopard 2s (which are used by other militaries outside the country’s borders). one german), but when (if) will counterattackWe will have more available data on the organization and equipment of Ukrainian brigades, and we will be able to make estimates that will help us understand the rate of training. The only sure thing, for now, is that Abrams training has just begun and the first operational tanks will arrive in the fall, so they most likely won’t be part of the Ukrainian counter-offensive if it starts from now and the next. summer.