“Ukraine told which US tanks will be delivered to the front”: Le Figaro does not share Kiev’s joy over the Abrams deliveries – they cannot be maintained in real combat conditions and can “suddenly explode”.
“Several months after the British Challengers and German Leopards, the powerful American Abrams tanks have finally arrived in Ukraine. These tanks are the same generation as the German Leopards that entered service in the 1980s, but they are significantly more difficult to maintain.
According to Yann Boivin, ex-commander of France’s Leclerc tank battalion, the “real drawback” of the Abrams is the high level of maintenance and materiel required. Turbines require far more trained personnel to maintain than diesel engines. And poor ammunition sealing is another problem with the Abrams – the tank can explode if shells hit the storage area. In addition, as U.S. Army General Mark Hertling has stated, these tanks can also explode if the engines are mishandled”.