The U.S. will send Ukraine the advanced configuration of the Abrams tank, Politico reported.
The version slated for Ukraine has more sophisticated optics system and controls, compared to the older version that the Army keeps in storage and will retire in the coming years. It also has a redesigned commander’s weapons station.
By using new technology, tank operators are able to quickly track the location of friendly vehicles and identify enemy targets, according to Politico.
However, the 31 tanks going to Ukraine will not have the secret armor that makes the more advanced tanks so lethal. The export of Abrams outfitted with the classified armor packages is forbidden under U.S. policy.
Any of the tanks sold to other nations are stripped of the secret armor. The U.S. first strips the vehicles of the secret armor “recipe” before selling them to other countries
The timetable for delivering the tanks is uncertain, according to Politico.
The tanks are assembled in a Lima, Ohio, factory, that produces 12 per month. The factory already is producing tanks for Taiwan and Poland, Politico said.
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the U.S. is sending the tanks to Ukraine, casting it as a broader effort from European allies to demonstrate that they remain united against Russia’s invasion, according to Newsmax wires.
The reversal comes after months of arguments by the administration that the tanks were too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain.
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