WASHINGTON (AP) – The Pentagon is speeding up the delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, opting to send an older model that has been updated that can go faster, with the goal of getting the 70-ton troops to the war zone in eight to 10 months, US officials told The Associated Press.
The original plan was to send Ukraine 31 of the new M1A2 Abrams, which could take one or two years to build and ship. But officials said the decision was made to deliver an older version of the M1A1, which could be taken from the Army’s stockpile and could be there before the end of the year. Officials say the M1A1 will also make it easier for Ukrainian forces to learn to use and maintain in the fight against a Russian invasion.
The official spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public. Pentagon officials are expected to make an announcement on Tuesday.
The Biden administration announced in January that it would send tanks to Ukraine — after insisting for months that they were too complex and too difficult to maintain and repair. The decision was part of a broader political maneuver that opened the door for Germany to announce it would send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow Poland and other allies to do the same.
It is unclear how the US will begin training Ukrainian forces on how to use, maintain and repair the tanks. The goal is that the training of the army coincides with the renovation of the tank, so that both are ready for war at the same time this year. The Pentagon must also ensure that Ukrainian forces have an adequate supply chain for all the parts needed to keep the tanks operational.
Any tank deliveries are unlikely to happen until the spring, when Russia and Ukraine are expected to launch more intensive offensives. Both sides have been in a stalemate, trading small pieces of land in winter.
The fiercest fighting has been in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia is struggling to encircle the city of Bakhmut in the face of Ukrainian defenses. Local government official Petro Kyrylenko said on Ukrainian TV on Tuesday that the Russian attack the day before killed a civilian and injured others.
Carlos Osorio via the Associated Press
During a visit to the Lima, Ohio, tank plant in February, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth met with officials there to determine the best options for getting tanks to Ukraine.
“Part of it is figuring out – among the different options – what’s the best one that can allow us to get the Ukrainians tank in as timely a fashion as we can,” without interfering with foreign military sales, Wormuth said at the time.
Officials at the plant, which is owned by the Army and operated by Reston, Virginia-based General Dynamics, said total production could vary, based on contract requests. And when they are building 15-20 armored vehicles per month, including tanks, they can easily boost that for 33 months and can add another shift of workers and build even more if necessary.
The development of tanks for Ukraine should be squeezed between the current contract for foreign sales, which includes 250 of the newest version for Poland and about 75 for Australia. During Wormuth’s tour of the facility, workers were preparing to build a new version of the vehicle for Poland.
Ukrainian leaders have been pushing for the Abrams, which was first put into combat in 1991 and has thick armor, a 120 mm main gun, armor-piercing capabilities and an advanced targeting system. It runs on thick tracked wheels and has a 1,500-horsepower turbine engine with a top speed of around 42 miles per hour (68 kilometers per hour).