4/18/2023 0 Comments History channel tank battles![]() ![]() ![]() Kris Osborn is the Military Affairs Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. The Pentagon, NATO, and the 50-nation-strong Ukraine Defense Contact Group have all supported this, which is why many more tactical trucks, support vehicles, and logistical equipment have been sent to Ukraine in recent months, as advancing forces claiming territory need sustainment, troop transport, supplies and protection to secure their advances. Winning heavy armor engagements against Russia will be essential, as Ukraine’s long-term success may depend largely upon an ability to truly “pivot” from its successful more defensively oriented hit-and-run, an ambush-style anti-armor fight, which stopped Russia’s initial advance into more mechanized offensive operations designed to retake and hold territory. ![]() Simply put, this amount of available Russian hardware, combined with the expansive geography, seems to suggest that Ukraine will need hundreds if not thousands more tanks to ultimately prevail. Operating six times as many tanks, even if many of them are not modernized, sustained, or well maintained, would seem to give invading Russian forces a numerical advantage difficult to overcome. When it comes to heavy armor, the numbers discrepancy between Ukraine and Russia is significant, as Global Firepower’s 2022 Ukraine-Russia military comparison says Russia operates 12,566 tanks, as compared to Ukraine’s 1,890 tanks. Pure Numbers Don’t Apply to Russian Disadvantage This kind of strategy might make the most sense, as a large-scale, direct mechanized engagement across wide swaths of territory might favor Russian forces simply due to sheer numbers. Since Ukrainians have proven so effective at anti-armor kinds of hit-and-run ambushes, which decimated invading Russian armored vehicles, perhaps they could employ their largely defensive anti-armor posture long enough for more heavy armor to arrive.Ĭertainly if used with artillery, overhead surveillance showing the size, speed, shape, and angle of approach of attacking Russian vehicles and dispersed but well-armed groups of dismounted fighters, anti-armor weapons could slow down or thwart armored Russian advances long enough for larger amounts of heavy armor to arrive. This kind of operation could be extremely important, yet it would likely fall short of enabling Ukrainian fighters to “reclaim” territory.īy no means does this mean the effort is not well served, as it could potentially enable an important and successful longer-term strategy. A small number of Abrams tanks, if properly fortified by artillery, some air support, and dismounted infantry, could certainly breach the “perimeter” of Russian formations and potentially “break” through or “penetrate” Russian defenses. While more tanks are of course slated to arrive over time, Ukraine will likely need more “mass” and “wide area maneuvers” to succeed with a large-scale counter-invasion or effort to “retake” large territories in disputed areas. However, a true ability to “reclaim” and “hold” territory previously held by Russian forces will likely require much more heavy armor than the small number of tanks on the way. M1 Abrams: What Ukraine needs to win in Ukraine? The arrival of Abrams tanks in Ukraine is without question likely to be impactful in a number of key respects. ![]()
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