00:01Hello friends, a few weeks ago I came across a report published on September 4th, it features
00:07interviews by the independent Ukrainian outlet Romatsky with the crews of the M1A1 Abrams from
00:12the 425th Separate Assault Regiment Scala. I took my time to review it because it explains how the
00:19tank crews themselves admit that their modern American main battle tanks are currently not
00:23actively participating in the fighting and it's not because of maintenance issues or a lack of
00:28ammunition. The reason is that the sky over the Pokrovsk sector is so saturated with Russian drones
00:34that as one of their commanders explains, there's simply no way to use them. And even so, none of
00:39the Ukrainian tank crews are willing to sign the death certificate for the battle tank yet. Scala's
00:45Abrams are part of the 49 M1A1s from Australia received in 2025 which were added to the 31 units
00:52supplied by the United States. Of that total, at least 25 have been visually confirmed as destroyed,
01:00heavily damaged, or abandoned on different fronts. This means that almost one out of every three Abrams
01:06delivered to the defenders is at the very least in the repair shop for a long time and quite a
01:12few
01:12have already been permanently written off. With that track record and after two operations in the battle
01:18for the city of Pokrovsk, where they actively use their Abrams, the regiment decided reluctantly
01:24to leave their American tanks in the rear as a rapid reaction force. Scala's M1A1s are not the most
01:30modern version of the Abrams. They have less sophisticated electronics and they also don't
01:35have the classified depleted uranium armor that their US Army counterparts use. In other words,
01:41it's a tank that keeps the 120 mm cannon, the optics, and the power plant from the original design,
01:47but not its most advanced layer of protection. According to previous reports, its propulsion
01:52system was reconfigured before delivery to run on diesel instead of JP8. It might seem strange,
01:59but it's really not since the Abrams gas turbine engine is a multi-fuel design, and in fact,
02:06the Australians use those tanks with regular military diesel. The crews really appreciate that the tank can
02:12run on different fuels, although in their experience, the turbine performs best in terms
02:17of operating hours when using diesel. Despite the limitations of the Abrams they received, Kubik,
02:24one of the commanders, says that as a tanker, this configuration seems more than enough to him,
02:29and he justifies it with two specific elements, the sights, which he describes as excellent,
02:34and the cannon. Accuracy is also the first answer from Kent and another crew member when asked about the
02:40greatest strength of the Abrams. On a front where every second the tank is exposed attracts the
02:46attention of the horde's drones. Being able to hit with the first shot means less time under enemy
02:50observation. Added to that is a power plant that Kubik describes as a beast and that allowed him to
02:57personally drive the vehicle at 80 kilometers per hour our cross country. It's a speed that few tanks
03:02can match even on hard packed roads. The Abrams can also turn on its own axis without moving forward,
03:09which in the narrow spaces of a ruined city allows it to be reoriented without multiple forward and
03:15backward maneuvers. And according to the crews, it rarely gets stuck even in the thickest mud caused by the
03:21thaw despite its enormous weight. Inside, the Ukrainian tankers highlight the protected ammunition
03:28storage and the ample space they enjoy compared to Soviet-designed tanks. These are two factors
03:34that in their opinion determine whether an enemy hit can destroy only the vehicle or kill those inside as
03:40well. As for disadvantages, Kent himself bluntly says that the Abrams is very tall and very large
03:47and that's why it's hard to hide it from aerial observation on a battlefield constantly monitored
03:52by Mordor's reconnaissance drones. That means the tank can be detected long before it manages to enter
03:58combat. Regarding the battles, the first significant use they report took place in December 2025 when the
04:06Abrams supported the entry of infantry assault groups into Pokrovsk. It was a mission planned in a
04:11deliberately aggressive way. Kent advanced behind a mine-clearing vehicle and in front of two infantry
04:18fighting vehicles loaded with troops. His explicit task was to draw the attention of the Z-Horde onto
04:23himself since the tank is a priority target for them. In this way, the vehicle gave the soldiers
04:29time to disembark without taking casualties. Additionally, he was assigned three targets
04:34that he had to take down along the way. In other words, the operation consisted of going in,
04:39destroying non-Russian positions and getting out, getting out, drawing as much attention as possible
04:44from Ivan's forces in the area. The second operation, on March 31, or rather March 1,
04:502026, aimed to enter an industrial area near Pokrovsk and hold it to block the Russian advance toward
04:56Zhishain, a contested town. The action was prepared for more than two weeks with reconnaissance flights,
05:02study of the difficult sections of the route, and plenty of video material.
05:06So much so that, according to Kubik, the crews felt like they knew every meter of the route.
05:11The decisive factor, however, was the weather, since they deliberately decided to wait for a thick fog
05:17accompanied by rain to fall over the area in order to degrade the operation of Russian drones.
05:22Even with all these precautions, four out of the five armored vehicles used in the mission
05:27ended up destroyed, which led the crews to think that the enemy was expecting the attack.
05:33Their own Abrams managed to accomplish the objective and the infantry disembarked before the weather
05:37changed. But as soon as the fog lifted, the Russians began to attack it non-stop with drones.
05:43The tank took more than 20 hits that failed to immobilize it. It was saved by the combination of
05:48its standard armor and two basic forms of add-on armor made up of strips of hard rubber and a
05:54foldable
05:55protective cage that covered the turret. With this setup, the drone explodes when it hits the improvised
06:00external protections, so only the blast wave reaches the tank's hull, which is not enough to damage the vehicle.
06:07As for the reactive armor bricks, so popular among Ukrainian crews, they say they're effective,
06:13but they only protect against one hit. Kent admits that he would like to put a hedgehog-style
06:19covering on his Abrams like the one Ivan is installing on his tanks. He considers it a very
06:25effective solution but lightweight, so it doesn't affect the mobility of the armored vehicle.
06:30The Abrams' mobility and power come at the cost of more maintenance hours and higher fuel consumption.
06:36The running gear is especially delicate and requires inspection, lubrication, and replacement
06:41of components after each sortie, which adds a significant extra workload for the crew.
06:47As for fuel consumption, it averages around 400 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers on asphalt
06:52and reaches 700 liters or more on difficult terrain. That means between 4 and 7 liters per kilometer traveled.
06:59That's why having resupply vehicles is essential. And since these can't risk getting close to the front,
07:07Abrams' operations are brief and fast to avoid running out of fuel in a compromised position.
07:12Even so, Scala's troops defend the involvement of armored vehicles in these missions.
07:17Because the alternative is to send infantry on foot for several kilometers, carrying weapons,
07:22ammunition, and water, which takes more time. It exposes them to observation by the reconnaissance
07:28drones of the Z-Horde. On the other hand, the Abrams, together with infantry fighting vehicles,
07:34can move troops quickly while delivering heavy direct fire against enemy positions. In addition,
07:40it provides a high level of protection for its crew. However, these capabilities have not been
07:46enough to keep the tanks at the front. Since according to their crews, the enemy has greatly
07:50developed its drone force, and the tanks have nothing to counter it. The tank crews value the
07:56Abrams for what it always does well. Its shooting accuracy, excellent crew protection, and high mobility
08:02on all types of terrain. That's everything you can ask for in a modern tank. What is missing,
08:08therefore, is some system that allows them to fight against drones. That's why Kubik is convinced that
08:13some day someone will come up with a good solution, and his Abrams will be able to operate at the
08:17front again. When he's asked if the error of the tank is over, he answers no. He says the tanks
08:23are
08:24just waiting for their moment and that declaring them dead is, in his opinion, still far too premature.
08:30For those who want to see additional content, we invite you to subscribe to our Patreon,
08:34where for just one dollar, you'll have access to uncensored war videos.
08:39Visit our store and discover items from distinguished Ukrainian units. Each purchase directly supports
08:46United24, contributing to reconstruction, civil aid, and defense. Don't forget to leave a like
08:52and subscribe to the channel.
