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Of the 31 Abrams tanks the U.S. sent to Ukraine, six have been destroyed, according to Oryx, an independent analyst group that tracks casualties. The rest are now used only occasionally. At $10 million apiece, tanks like the Abrams are not easily replaced. Among other Western tanks sent to Ukraine, 12 of the 18 latest-model German Leopards have been destroyed or damaged, according to Oryx.

As soon as you get on the road, a drone spots you, and then you’re being hit with artillery, mines, anti-tank missiles, drones, guided bombs," said a Ukrainian driver of one of the Abrams tanks whose call sign is Smilik.

  • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.mlOP
    14·
    2 months ago

    The big advantages that T-72/80 have over western tanks is that they’re much lighter meaning that they don’t get stuck in mud as easily, they’re easier to repair, and they have autoloaders reducing crew size.

    • kurcatovium@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      Autoloader is both advantage and disadvantage at the same time. You don’t need another crew member, but the mechanism proved itself to be deadly when tanks get hit.

      The weight itself is a huge factor though. Modern tanks get to absurd numbers where it’s getting difficult to operate them at all.

      • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.mlOP
        4·
        2 months ago

        From what we’ve seen, when any tank gets hit that tends to be fatal. Drones in particular tend to hit weak areas that cause munitions to explode.