The decision to speed up the delivery of tanks and Patriot systems comes as Ukraine is preparing to launch a spring offensive against Russian forces, built largely around the more powerful and more advanced systems Western countries have agreed to send, including tanks and other armored vehicles. Later on Tuesday, US defense officials said Patriot missile defense systems are set to be deployed to Ukraine faster than originally planned and a group of 65 Ukrainian soldiers will complete their training on the systems at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in the coming days. The M1-A2 has a newer digital targeting system that makes it a more capable tank, but it also required more training for Ukrainian troops to operate the more complex tank and to maintain the system. The US had previously announced it would send the more modern M1-A2 version of the Abrams battle tank, but that would have required either building new tanks or modernizing existing older tanks, then training Ukrainian crews on the more advanced system. (Photo by Grigory SYSOYEV / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by GRIGORY SYSOYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images) Grigory Sysoyev/AFP/SPUTNIK/Getty ImagesĬhina bills itself as a Ukraine peacemaker but US says Xi's talks with Putin provide 'diplomatic cover' for war The tank has outlived several efforts to replace it, gaining upgrades like a larger, more powerful 120-millimeter gun a layer of depleted uranium armor a digital command and control system and a separate “hunter-killer” thermal imaging viewer for the tank commander.Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. The M1 Abrams main battle tank-a clean-sheet design equipped with a 105-millimeter main gun, Chobham composite armor, and gas turbine engine-debuted in 1981 as the most advanced tank of its kind. originally designed the M1 tank to fight Soviet and Polish forces on the battlefields of Western Europe. The purchase is a pretty remarkable turnaround of events, considering the U.S. The tanks will arm Polish Army units guarding against incursions by the Russian Army. Poland will purchase 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 main battle tanks from the U.S., replacing older tanks dating back to the Cold War. Ironically, the M1 Abrams was originally designed to fight Poland when the country was a member of the Warsaw Pact. The M1A2 SEPv3 is the latest version of the M1 series of tanks that first entered service in 1981. Poland has announced it will purchase M1A2 SEPv3 main battle tanks from the U.S.
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