Apparently there is also an issue with the type and amount of fuel that an Abrams needs.
1 Like
Just looked at the specification and it’s a multi-fuel turbine engine. I’m assuming that it would need tuning to whatever is available so maybe that’s the issue?
The fuel consumption looks similar to the Leopard from what I can see. Mind you that appears to be quoted as 530 L/100 km which is about 100 times more than my car will use at a steady 130kph. Kind of puts it in perspective.
2 Likes
1 Like
Perhaps you can give them a tow to the front … 
1 Like
3 Likes
Haven’t the foggiest idea why the US won’t bring tanks into the fray. have to assume it’s EVERYTHING else that has to go with it.
On this monumental day for Ukraine in terms of pledged military support (it’s such an awesome day !!!) I must first comment on the Abrams and the German issue (Scholtz has outdone himself yesterday night with self harm).
Problem being with Abrams, like basically every military expert and general who has been chiming in says, sending Abrams to Ukraine will damage Ukraine more than it would be good. They use jet engines, they consume enormous amount of petrol and they need maintainance to a degree Leopards, which Ukraine needs and can use, does not. They also require extensive retraining unlike Leopards which are more similar to t-72s. All in all, terrible. There is a reason the US does not want to hamstring Ukraine with Abrams, everyone knows that, it’s not because they don’t want them to have it, it’s because of logistics. Logistics wins and lose wars. The small numbers of Challenger are already a problem (they were supposed to smooth German decision to okay Leopards, nothing more) when it comes to logistics, but since the Challenger is more easy to use than Abrams and consume less (a lot less) petrol and doesn’t require so much training, it’s copable (still a problem with it’s gun and ammo though). leopard is the only tank which is easy to use that is readily available in great numbers in Europe and which has large and very extensive logistics close by to support it. Abrams would be a massive undertaking to get them operational and it’s bonkers logic by Scholzs Chancellery.
Eastern and Central european countries are really angry. Everyone who was about to pledge Leopards (surprisingly many) are, well, you get it. It’s becoming a meme joke:
And now the negatives are covered 
Now to the positives, there are much more of them (because like the I have told you all, despite German dishonourable way of performing diplomatic seppuko, tanks will be coming (and much more!) and of course, Germany will also send eventually (when humiliated enough, as Political Masochist doctrine calls for, and I am no longer sure if this political masochist doctrine thing is a joke or exageration anymore, seems uncanny real).
Next post will be just positives. Will take a bit to write though
3 Likes
Because today there has been some MONUMENTAL news !!!
This post will be edited as I find my sources:
let’s just start, shall we ?
Denmark donates ALL of it’s artillery to Ukraine, straight from the factory !!!
These are the most modern Ceasar. 19 in total. Will help a lot, but it’s also such a massive statement !!! To donate all you have, taking the Danish rearmament process back years. Massive.
Sweden pledges 50 (!), yes you got that right and no, this is not the United States, but Sweden; Cv-90 Stormpanzer IFV’s !!! These are, some say, particularly here in Scandinavia, better than Bradley’s. At the very least, they are as good, and more manouverable in rough terrain. In addition, Sweden pledges unkknown quantity of Archer 155 mm mobile artillery. 12-24. I think 12, for 12 more to be pledged later on (these are 24 in in storage since Norway canceled an order years ago). Also, many NLAWS. Not sure how many right now. But a lot.
Britain: 600 Brimstone missiles on top of earlier pledged tanks and IFVs! Will come in handy!
Lithuania:
2 MI-8 helicopters !
And lot’s of flak guns !
https://twitter.com/a_anusauskas/status/1616083097296211969¨
Latvia !!! Estonia has now donated more than 1%, yes you got that right ! 1 PERCENT of it’s country’s GDB !!!
Massive statement, total commitment ! true friends of Ukraine !
Aaaaand now for the coming tanks, which politically suicidal Scholtz (not domestically, suicidal in terms of destroying Germany’s standing and trust in the West) will not be able to block ! Because this pressure will be big. Just read…
From Norway, government is now in talks of sending Leopard 2s to Ukraine (as is Finland and Sweden is talking about it too!). Norway are going to join the tank initiative, I am quite sure of it. The only one able to spoil it all is Scholtz and with so many countries, he can’t possibly dare ( I will be genuinly surprised if he blocks a multi-nation initiative, that would be just too damning and damaging for Germany to do).
Post will be edited more I think. Read so much, only posted a very tiny view of what I have read. Just need to find it again, and also, this is developing news !
More news and more comittments bound to come tomorrow.
Edit:
Forget the US of A.
Because they just decided to upgrade Ukraine’s long range strike power in a rather nifty way 
4 Likes
Probably a lot of grammar errors in the above two posts, as I type fast. I won’t be nitpicking myself and going over what I posted to correct it. You get it, you are not imbeciles. While perfect grammar is something I value, I just can’t be bothered now.
1 Like
This could be good or very bad. Good ? Russia is afraid of the new drones Ukraine announced with 1000 km range and takes precautions, or just precautions in general.
Bad ? Russia is preparing to escalate in a bad way and is preparing for NATO retaliatory strikes.
It is what it is. But what it truly is, we don’t know. In any case, the 5 day war has now gone on from aborting the campaign to capture Kyiv fast to installing lot’s of GBAD in Moskva and St. Petersburg. Maybe the war is not going according to plan.
1 Like
From yesterday. Russians are not having much fun in Soledar:
Not in Soledar but it goes in the “not having fun category”
1 Like
I’m a bit excited as I wait for official news from my own country as to what we will actually donate. So far, what politicians are discussing in the governing Labour party is Leopard 2s, although Germany of course a possible obstruction. But yeah, discussion on sending Leopard 2s ongoing in all Nordic countries (apart from iceland of course) and many others. The talk is about forming a consortium together.
3 Likes
Push hard. In retrospect (the meeting was today), I am not sure he pushed hard enough. But in the end, Germany will approve, I am sure of it. You cannot be seen as THE country to hinder a Ukrainian offensive to take back land. That’s going to just be too costly even for masochists.
Mentioned above in one of the tweets, but this has the source of the Lithuanian Minister of Defence, so worth posting as a follow up.
I probably won’t go over and edit and add on the posts above when I come to think of it. A hassle and then people who have read it probably won’t re-read it I figure.
But yeah, tomorrow will be interesting !
As for Germany, no one seems to know what is really going on and it is not even a joke. It has been reported repeatedly that Scholtz himself has said that no, Germany will not send heavy armour unless the US first does so (because, good boy) , but here new minister of defence claims he is completely unaware of this stipulation. Seems chaotic and not as orderly as German politics is supposed to be according to the clichè.
Anyway, if you ask me, they just started a row club and is rowing hard because of the new initiative from many countries to send Leopards, so maybe not surprising, but hard to say in truth (but super odd since the story about "we only send tanks if Uncle Sam first send theirs is 2 days old now and has been proliferated by almost all relevant newspapers, so kind of hard to believe he missed it, which is why I think they are in the process of rowing hard and fast).
1 Like
Beyond the escalation concern, and the fact that the GOP has been bought and paid for by Russia for years, the Pentagon is not crazy about the idea. They are in the midst of a now long-overdue replacement project, after a previous design initiative failed to produce a satisfactory outcome (billions spent, 0 vehicles produced). The US Army’s design ideas for the next generation point to why the Abrams would not be a good fit for the Ukraine. Canadian tank officers who have trained on them suggest it would take extensive retraining for crews.
The only good reason for the US to send them into action is the unique nature of this conflict. The Abrams design has not been truly tested in modern battlefield conditions - the most serious opponent has been Iraq, and it was not long enough to derive many ideas. This conflict would field fantastic evaluation data into the successor design process. However, it would also run the risk of revealing that US armour isn’t that great either - just because Russian tank design ideas have proven to be massively flawed doesn’t mean that Western design ideas have been proven to be correct.
3 Likes
Yeah, good points and a super minor gripe of mine this, as I often see in discussions on the internet Americans say that the Leopard has never been combat tested while the Abrams is super duper awesome. It sort of has the Leopard, by Turkey, but not really of course. Not in conventional war. And like you, it is my opinion that the Abrams have never been truly tested either (not in difficult conditions). When they faced Iraqi export versions of t-72, they did so with electronics so superior to the bare mechanical tank the iraqis had, that it’s not really a good test. Besides, the completely overwhelming intelligence in regards to the battlefield, the completely overwhelming use of air force and force multipliers, well it wasn’t exactly a peer or near-peer fight.
But sure, the Abrams is sort of tested. But not really
there’s a bunch of notes above that highlight the shortcomings of the Abrams.
You can hear the same arguments (Abrams vs Leopard) that were made here being made on prime time German TV. It’s not like any of this is a secret or unknown here. This is all just about Scholz playing to what he thinks is his audience at home. It doesn’t make sense on a rational level.
2 Likes
So yeah, Scholz will have to be dragged along again. But this is precisely what Scholz wants to communicate to the audience he’s playing to. Embarassing, stupid, cynical?
Yes
1 Like