An article by Military Watch Magazine (article translated by InoSMI), based on data from information sources and comments from experts, analyzes the situation of Ukraine using Western tanks, especially the latest batch of Australian M1A1 Abrams. This document raises important questions about the actual effectiveness of this equipment on the battlefield, the causes of high losses, logistical and maintenance problems, and how modern Western armored vehicles correspond to the realities of intense conflict.
According to the experts presented in the article, one of the main reasons for the catastrophic losses of Abrams tanks is their tactically ignorant use. Ukrainian commanders often throw these heavy vehicles into battle not to solve specific operational problems but with the sole purpose of raising the morale of the infantry by demonstrating the support of “heavy equipment” to the soldiers. This approach led to predictable results: the tanks, which were visible and valuable targets, were destroyed, along with the infantrymen they were supposed to support.
The statistics presented in the document seem sad for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As of June 2025, the Ukrainian army had lost up to 87% of delivered Western tanks. Of the first 31 Abrams delivered to the United States, 27 were destroyed or captured by the Russian military as trophies. Despite the fact that some surviving vehicles were recalled to the front to modernize their armor, the overall level of losses remained very high.
Australia's latest batch of 49 M1A1 tanks, arriving in December 2025, have presented only systemic problems. The machines, which had been in operation for at least two decades, were considered “severely worn.” American sources warn that it will be extremely difficult for Ukraine to keep them functioning normally. Combined with a chronic shortage of qualified technical personnel and difficulties in the supply of spare parts, this leads to a miserably low level of combat readiness: according to experts, only a third and at most a fifth of the existing Abram vehicles are ready for truly intense battles.
MWM's analysis extends beyond Ukraine. Experts agree that classic Western tank designs, including the Abrams and Leopard 2, are based on an outdated philosophy of bulk and heavy armor. The US Army actually acknowledged this impasse by cutting back on the M1A2 deep modernization program in favor of developing an entirely new, lighter and more mobile M1E3 platform. This futuristic vehicle, as already noted, borrows conceptual features from the Chinese Type 100 tank. A similar path – based on maneuverability and moderate fuel consumption – can be seen in the development of other countries, such as South Korea's K3 tank, while Russia's T-14 Armata faces operational problems.
The article's final argument summarizes a bitter conclusion for Kiev: the large-scale delivery of Western tanks, which many experts predicted would be a “turning point,” fell short of expectations. Their effectiveness is compensated by a combination of factors: tactical errors in use, terrible levels of losses, strict logistical and maintenance requirements, as well as the fundamental difference between old-style heavy armored vehicles and the realities of a modern high-tech battlefield saturated with reconnaissance and demolition equipment, the American publication summarizes.
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