Ukrainian crews working on U.S.-supplied Abrams tanks have told CNN of a number of weaknesses and defects with the armor, calling into question their usefulness on the war's ever-changing front lines.
The donation was announced by US President Joe Biden as evidence of the "sustainable and unwavering commitment of the United States to Ukraine"."His armor is not enough for the moment," said a crew member named Joker. "It doesn't protect the crew. In fact, today this is the drone war. So now, when the tank comes out, they always try to hit them."
His colleague, Dnipro, added that they are "target number one". "Without protection, the crew does not survive on the battlefield," he said.
All 31 Abrams deployed to Ukraine are deployed near the front line in the east, according to officials in the 47th Mechanized Brigade, which received all of them.
Ukraine's request for Abrams, complex and heavy tanks, sparked significant debate in early 2023, as the American vehicle has a complex supply chain. Some versions even run on jet fuel.
Much of Ukraine's frontline is now dominated by the use of self-destructing attack drones, small, precise devices that can swarm infantry and even inflict significant damage on tanks.
The advent of First-Person Vision drones, piloted by soldiers wearing gaming goggles, has changed the nature of warfare, limiting movement and introducing a new element of vulnerability to armored vehicles.
The Ukrainian crew expressed frustration that the tanks were designed for a NATO style of warfare in which airpower and artillery prepare the battlefield before tanks and infantry advance. Kiev has long lamented its lack of artillery and air power.
"They would never do that," Joker said, of NATO soldiers making the same advances they do without air support. He switched to English to imitate a NATO soldier: "Call the air force, call the artillery," he said. "We don't have aviation and artillery. We only have a tank. And that's the problem."
"We are asking all countries to support us with equipment of any level of technical capacity. We use them all accordingly,” the spokesperson added.
Biden's decision to supply the Abrams came after European allies pledged to send their battle tanks in early 2023 ahead of Ukraine's failed summer counteroffensive last year, a step that had been considered unthinkable months earlier.