According to the release of a video from a surveillance drone and an FPV drone, a Ukrainian M1A1 Abrams tank provided by the Americans to the Ukrainian armed forces was targeted. This main battle tank (MBT) has become a part of popular culture, and its destruction was a priority for the Russians to validate their current martial rhetoric about a quick victory.
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supposed M1A1 aimed by an FPV drone near Avdiivka (Picture source open source)
According to Russian reports, the tank was hit in two phases, the first shot being made with a 155mm Krasnopol shell. The 2K25 Krasnopol is a Soviet 152/155 mm cannon-launched, fin-stabilized, base bleed-assisted, semi-automatic laser-guided artillery weapon system. It homes in on a point illuminated by a laser designator, typically operated by a drone or ground-based observer. Krasnopol projectiles are used mainly from Soviet self-propelled howitzers such as the 2S3 Akatsiya and 2S19 Msta-S, targeting small ground units like tanks, direct-fire weapons, or significant point targets.
In the second phase, an FPV drone was used to destroy the tank. The illustration above is a video capture of the released drone view
The footage shows that the vehicle was isolated on the edge of a forest, indicating an offensive operation was underway at the time of the strike. The images are between Orlovka and Tonenke, a few kilometers west of Avdiivka.
31 M1A1 tanks were delivered to the Ukrainians and were assigned to the 47th Armored Brigade, but they were not immediately deployed in the field. These were equipped with additional armor, specifically Bradley Reactive Armor Tiles (BRAT), typically intended for American IFV Bradleys.
However, open-source videos show that the armor tiles did not sufficiently protect other tanks in the Avdiivka area. According to the ORYX website, which tracks equipment losses through OSINT sources, four M1A1 tanks have been destroyed or damaged, not counting the images published today.
The use of tanks provided by Western countries to Ukraine is subject to debate, as there have been numerous destructions and the successes achieved by this use of armored warfare are relatively limited.
supposed M1A1 spotted by an FPV drone near Avdiivka (Picture source Fatum group, Russian unit )
Defense News April 2024
