- [Narrator] This is the US-made Abrams,
one of the three types
of Western style tanks that Ukraine is expecting
from its allies.
And this is the T-72,
the Soviet era tank that's been used most frequently
in the war so far.
As The Wall Street Journal first reported,
the US Senate's allies have agreed to send tanks
to Ukraine ahead of more intense fighting in the spring.
Abrams and German-made Leopards are being sent
to Kyiv in addition to UK made Challenger 2s.
So as Ukraine says getting a significant number
of those weapons would be a game changer,
here's how heavy vehicles from the West match up
to Russia's older, but much larger tank fleet.
(weapon firing)
First, let's look at why Ukraine argues
that tanks are so important.
- So the front lines
of this war have been pretty static in the last few months.
A lot of the fighting has been taking place
along these vast plains and on small hills,
and that's the kind of terrain
and landscape that allows the big military vehicles
to operate pretty efficiently.
- [Narrator] The two main types
of armored vehicles being used
in Ukraine right now are main battle tanks
and infantry fighting vehicles, also known as IFVs,
tanks of heavy armor, big guns and caterpillar treads.
When tanks face each other on the battlefield,
military experts say they typically look
for a weak point along the front line to try
and break through and destroy other heavy vehicles.
IFVs, on the other hand, are smaller and lighter.
They have some of the characteristics of tanks
but their main purpose is transporting infantry safely
around the battlefield while also providing fire support
with their smaller weapons.
Prior to the invasion, Ukraine had significantly
fewer armored fighting vehicles than Russia.
- But now Kyiv's NATO allies
are sending more modern military vehicles to Ukraine.
- Today I'm announcing
that the United States will be sending 31 Abram tanks
to Ukraine, the equivalent of one Ukrainian battalion.
- [Narrator] So how will Western Tanks
help Ukrainian forces?
- Well, for tanks,
the most important factor is survivability.
- [Narrator] Weapons experts measure this by estimating
how resistant the vehicles are to anti-tank weapons,
like the US-made Javelin or the Russian Kornet,
as well as armor-piecing rounds fired by other tanks.
Analysts say the Challenger 2 and Abrams tanks,
which were both used in the Iraq war,
are some of the most protected tanks in the world.
That's because they both have a composite armor
called Chobham.
It uses a combination of steel, ceramics
and other materials to create particularly resistant plates.
Military analysts say this protection gives them
a major advantage over the T-72,
over 500 of which have been destroyed so far
in the Ukraine war.
German-made Leopard tanks
don't use that same armor technology
but have other similar characteristics
to the Abrams and Challenger 2,
all three types of advanced computer systems
and modern 120 millimeter guns.
Military analysts say they're less vulnerable
than the gun on the T-72, which hold this ammunition
at the bottom of the turret.
On the ground, the tanks, which are expensive,
and fewer number will also get some extra support.
- Other armored vehicles are just as important
and the US has also promised
to deliver 50 M2 Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
- The Bradley has a number
of modern advantages, including thermal imaging
quicker reload times, and an armor that's believed
to be more resistant than the Russian equivalents.
That includes the Soviet era BMP-2,
which have been commonly used in the war so far.
Hundreds of these vehicles have been destroyed
in Ukraine according to the military tracking site Oryx,
while the US says only three Bradleys were lost
in the Iraq war.
(soldiers speaking in foreign language)
But once Ukraine's forces get new tanks,
using them effectively won't be easy.
Many of these systems use different ammunition
and require their own maintenance schedules.
- It's still going to take a few months
to set up the supply chains, the fuel lines
and the trained crews needed
for the Ukraine to take advantage of these weapons.
And the few amounts that have been promised so far
make it unlikely
that it's going to impact the war anytime soon.
- [Narrator] Battlefield conditions
could also reduce their effectiveness.
The Western systems are heavier,
meaning that they can be more limited
when in boggy areas and crossing bridges.
Although its fleet is aging and diminished,
Moscow has hundreds more tanks in storage centers.
Ukraine, on the other hand, says it needs 300 tanks
to push back Russian forces, many more
than the initial shipments expected from the West.