news – A military analyst reveals why the Abrams and Leopard battle tanks are important for Ukraine to drive out the Russians.

Collaborator in the writing of a digital magazine focused on the military field, breaking defenseSydney Freedberg said the two forward tanks were essentially twins.

“Leopard and American Abrams are actually twins,” said Sydney Freedberg AlJazeeraThursday (26/1).

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has agreed to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.

The news comes as Washington is also ready to send dozens of M1 Abrams tanks to Ukrainian fronts.

Germany and the United States were actually reluctant to send these sophisticated tanks for several reasons.

On the one hand, Germany feared that its agreement to send Leopard tanks would increase the tension of the war. On the other hand, the United States is concerned about the logistical and maintenance challenges that Ukraine could face if Ukraine accepts Abrams

Both armored vehicles are considered advanced and more powerful than most Soviet-era tanks deployed by Russian and Ukrainian forces.

The Leopard 2 was first produced in 1979 by Krauss-Maffei for the German Ministry of Defense.

Leopard 2 is already operational in many countries, e.g. Austria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore , Switzerland, Sweden, Spain and Turkey.

Meanwhile, the first M1 Abrams tank was produced by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) in 1978 and delivered to the US Army in 1980.

“They’re very similar. Huge, heavily armored vehicle. Much more protected than anything the Soviets built, or anything the Russians have today,” Freedberg said.

The main difference between the Abrams and the Leopard is the engine.

The Leopard 2 is powered by the MTU MB 873 diesel engine, which is much easier to maintain and more widely used throughout Europe, while the Abrams uses a more powerful and complex turbine engine.

According to Freedberg, since Abrams tanks are used much less in Europe, Ukraine may struggle to cope with logistical infrastructure such as the acquisition of spare parts, warehousing and general maintenance. The four-man tank will also require additional training on complex machinery.

The Russian ambassador to the United States said that the possible delivery of Abrams tanks by Washington to Kyiv would be “another blatant provocation” against Moscow and that the West would regret the “illusion” that Ukraine could win over the battlefield.

According to Al Jazeera’s Al Jazeera defense analyst Alex Gatopoulos, the next-generation main battle tank is essential for Ukraine if it is to break through Russian defense lines and retake territory captured by Russian forces. in the first weeks of the invasion.

Southern Ukraine is an ideally flat reservoir territory. The Russians had built a line of fortified trenches and bunkers to stop the Ukrainian advance in the area.

In the Ukrainian offensive, tanks as well as troops protected by infantry fighting vehicles such as the American Bradley, the German Mardar and even the Russian-made BMP-2 will advance.