US Army troops will deploy M-2s alongside Hungarian troops in BTR-80 armored personnel carriers during a NATO training exercise.
US president Joe Biden’s administration is considering giving Ukraine some of the US Army’s decommissioned M-2 combat vehicles, Bloomberg reported.
It’s exactly what Ukraine’s military needs most as Russia’s wider war on Ukraine lurches into its 11th month, the wet winter deepens, the ground freezes and Ukraine deploys forces for a possible new counter-offensive. .
The 25 tonne M-2, manufactured by BAE Systems, is an infantry fighting vehicle. An IFV is an armored personnel carrier which, thanks to its turret-mounted cannon, is also capable of combat. As well as transporting troops around the battlefield, IFVs accompany and protect dismounted tanks and infantry.
The three-person M-2 includes a 25-millimeter chain gun, a launcher for TOW anti-tank missiles, laminated armor that can deflect heavy machine gun fire and a troop compartment that can fit six infantrymen.
Now 40 years old, the M-2 is not the best IFV in the world, but it is arguably better than even the newest BMP IFVs in the Russian and Ukrainian arsenals. Mark Hertling, a retired US Army general, sang the praises of the M-2. “Chain gun, TOWs, speed, easier maintenance, smaller crew, better mileage, available vehicles…” Hertling tweeted.
Perhaps more importantly, the US Army has thousands of older M-2s in storage. Even a few hundred of them would significantly improve the offensive combat power of the Ukrainian army.
The Ukrainians did not have enough IFVs when the Russians attacked back in February. Almost a year later, the IFV deficit is even greater.
Each of the three dozen Ukrainian army and marine heavy brigades requires a hundred or more infantry fighting vehicles. Starting with the pre-war arsenal, subtracting combat losses and adding BMPs that the Ukrainians have captured from the Russians, the Ukrainians today have a few thousand BMPs.
But that’s not enough to equip all their heavy brigades – to say nothing of bulking up the two dozen local territorial brigades that are increasingly taking part in Ukraine’s offensive operations.
Despite the shortfall, Ukraine’s NATO allies have only donated a few hundred IFVs – all of them old BMPs. Ukraine has not received a single non-Soviet IFV from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany or any other ally.
Instead, NATO countries have sent Ukraine a thousand lightly armed APCs – mostly M-113s – each of which can carry about a dozen infantrymen but generally lack turrets and cannons. They can carry, but they can’t fight.
Yes, the M-113 is fast and reliable. But all those NPAs filling in for IFVs could represent a risk to Ukrainian heavy brigades – and likely explain the continued demand for “Frankenstein” IFVs that combine bits and pieces of derelict or scrapped armored vehicles damaged. Ukraine is so desperate for IFVs that it is producing them from battlefield wreckage.
More than fighter jets, more than tanks, arguably even more than artillery, Ukraine needs IFVs to maintain its offensive posture in the second year of the war. The United States is finally considering providing them.
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Do Ukrainians use Russian tanks?
All signs are yes. The Ukrainian army does not hesitate to use weapons even older than the T-62. The 41-ton T-62 with its 115-millimeter main gun was produced in the Soviet Union between 1961 and 1975. On the same subject : Secretary Blinken’s trip for the Minister of Food Security to host Germany and the G7 Summit with NATO – US State Department.. It was the most important tank of the Soviet Union until the T-72 entered service in 1969.
What tanks are the Ukrainians using? The Russian T-72 was chosen over more modern tanks – such as the M-1 Abrams – as Ukraine was already familiar with the Russian system, Singh said. “Introducing a new main battle tank is extremely costly” and would be a huge task for the Ukrainian forces.
Who supplies Ukraine with tanks?
Tanks. Ukraine has received more than 230 tanks from Poland and the Czech Republic. Poland’s donation of tanks has been partially supplemented by alternative weapons from allied nations, including Challenger 2 tanks from the UK.
What happens to the Russian tanks in Ukraine?
And it’s a stunning figure too. According to the Dutch warfare research group Oryx, Russia has lost 1,450 tanks since the war began, with nearly 900 of them damaged or destroyed. See the article : $775 million in additional US military aid to Ukraine. The rest were left by the Russians, and many of those were eventually captured by the Ukrainians.
How many tanks does Russian have left in Ukraine?
In theory, Russia has thousands of tanks waiting in large warehouses and fleets of vehicles that can be reactivated. To see also : Putin lashes out at the US, claiming it wants to drag out the war in Ukraine and provoke China. According to Military Balance 2021, cited in Kyiv Independent, Russia has over 10,000 battle tanks in storage, mostly T-72s and T-80s.
Why are Russians losing so many tanks?
Experts attribute the losses to the advanced anti-tank weapons given to Ukraine by Western countries, poor strategy, low morale, and important design flaws. Ukraine says Russia has lost nearly 1,200 tanks, a number we cannot verify.
How many tanks has Russia lost so far? The total number of Russian tanks destroyed, knocked out, or captured by the AFU since the war began was, by that count 2892 vehicles: almost exactly twice the confirmed tank losses of Oryx.
How many Russian tanks have been destroyed by Ukraine?
Ukraine has Destroyed 2,000 Russian Tanks, 254 Aircraft and 48,700 soldiers.
What tanks are Ukraine using?
The Ukrainians have T-80s and T-64s mixed within units, but those models share automotive components. And the T-80, T-72 and T-64 have the same basic armament: a 125-millimeter main gun with 12.7-millimeter machine guns as backup.
Is Russia using t62 tanks in Ukraine? Although there are many variants and sub-variants of the T-62 tank, those used by Russian forces in Ukraine appear to be the T-62M variants and their T-62MV versions, which featuring Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armor protection (ERA). systems. The T-62s have been used in various conflict zones so far.
Is the T 14 tank being used in Ukraine?
This tank is of inestimable technological value: since the T-14 Armata is not used in Ukraine, it is the most modern tank model used by the Russians in Ukraine. Uralvagonzavod only delivered the first 10 units in the spring of 2020. It is a modernized T-90 and specifically: an upgraded 2A46M-4 cannon.
Does Ukraine have T-72 tanks?
In 2022, it is still one of the best tanks that Ukraine has access to – especially with the improved optics that Czech technicians are about to install. The Ukrainian armed forces began Russia’s wider war on Ukraine with about 2,500 tanks in active service or storage, about a third of which were various models of the T-72.
