[gocard14]

https://twitter.com/laraseligman/status/...OtTdMRctBQ

Nice

https://twitter.com/vonderburchard/statu...Rjs6SRtdlA

Even better. Seems like Ukraine is going to get a sizeable amount of tanks to go along with the 150+ new Bradley's and Marders.

https://twitter.com/MarQs__/status/16179...RpfUGqVedg

The 2A6 is a pretty new variant. I'm expecting that the hodgepodge of Leopards Ukraine gets will likely comprise several different variants given that it seems Ukraine is going to be receiving tanks from many different countries, the Ukrainian logistics officers are going to have their hands full.

https://twitter.com/Faytuks/status/16179...YlLqMUvTeQ

First of all, one has to say it is great this is happening. I for one hope we announce we are sending Abrams and then don't actually do it until at least June. Ukraine has enough on it's plate absorbing the Leopards. Let them train on the Abrams in Germany (or the US for that matter) before we send it. If that is what it takes to open the faucet, it's worth it. It should be noted that the USMC recently gave up it's 452 M1A1 tanks. These tanks were fully combat capable and ready to go. The US army uses M1A2s, so the older model isn't all that attractive to them. Ukraine OTOH can certainly use them, but only when they are trained to do so.

It is not just the logistics troops that will have a problem with the different versions. The tank crews themselves will too. The physical locations and operating instructions of equipment in the various variants are different. In a battle, knowing how to do things quickly is life and death. It is going to be hard enough for the Ukrainians to "master" one new tank. When their A6 is down for maintenance and you put the crew in an A4, bad things can easily happen. One area that is a real problem is communications gear, because that evolves rapidly. Different countries have different fits based on when the tank was last upgraded. There is going to have to be some real attention payed to how these tanks can talk to each other. If the tanks arrive in "company" size lots (14 tanks in US usage) they should be interchangeable at that level. That will help, but even in that case they need to talk to their other elements. All this will have to be worked out and practiced. Of course, one has to realize having these problems is better than having no tanks.

---

https://twitter.com/johnismay/status/161...a9SffkEG_g

More important news than the tanks

You are absolutely right about that! My concern is the lead time on actually getting this going, but at least people are paying attention to the problem. The US military-industrial base isn't used to moving fast any more, and they need to do so in this case. This is 6 months later than it should have been IMO, as this problem was entirely foreseeable (and actually was pointed out by several sources). We are damn lucky this happened because of Ukraine and not because the US was involved in ground war someplace.

Sounds like you get your wish re:taking their time with the Abrams. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-...s-ukraine/

The relevant info is that they are “ordering them from manufacturers “ and not using “existing US stocks”. I’m not 100% what that means since my impression is we were not producing new Abrams hulls, just upgrading existing ones, but sounds like it will be a while before tanks are shipped. Furthermore they emphasize the only reason we announce it now is to get the Germans moving on the Leopards. I also wonder how much of the repair and service aspects can be set up in Poland, who require this anyways for their upcoming M1 shipments.

[gocard14]

https://twitter.com/laraseligman/status/...OtTdMRctBQ

Nice

https://twitter.com/vonderburchard/statu...Rjs6SRtdlA

Even better. Seems like Ukraine is going to get a sizeable amount of tanks to go along with the 150+ new Bradley's and Marders.

https://twitter.com/MarQs__/status/16179...RpfUGqVedg

The 2A6 is a pretty new variant. I'm expecting that the hodgepodge of Leopards Ukraine gets will likely comprise several different variants given that it seems Ukraine is going to be receiving tanks from many different countries, the Ukrainian logistics officers are going to have their hands full.

https://twitter.com/Faytuks/status/16179...YlLqMUvTeQ

First of all, one has to say it is great this is happening. I for one hope we announce we are sending Abrams and then don't actually do it until at least June. Ukraine has enough on it's plate absorbing the Leopards. Let them train on the Abrams in Germany (or the US for that matter) before we send it. If that is what it takes to open the faucet, it's worth it. It should be noted that the USMC recently gave up it's 452 M1A1 tanks. These tanks were fully combat capable and ready to go. The US army uses M1A2s, so the older model isn't all that attractive to them. Ukraine OTOH can certainly use them, but only when they are trained to do so.

It is not just the logistics troops that will have a problem with the different versions. The tank crews themselves will too. The physical locations and operating instructions of equipment in the various variants are different. In a battle, knowing how to do things quickly is life and death. It is going to be hard enough for the Ukrainians to "master" one new tank. When their A6 is down for maintenance and you put the crew in an A4, bad things can easily happen. One area that is a real problem is communications gear, because that evolves rapidly. Different countries have different fits based on when the tank was last upgraded. There is going to have to be some real attention payed to how these tanks can talk to each other. If the tanks arrive in "company" size lots (14 tanks in US usage) they should be interchangeable at that level. That will help, but even in that case they need to talk to their other elements. All this will have to be worked out and practiced. Of course, one has to realize having these problems is better than having no tanks.

---

https://twitter.com/johnismay/status/161...a9SffkEG_g

More important news than the tanks

You are absolutely right about that! My concern is the lead time on actually getting this going, but at least people are paying attention to the problem. The US military-industrial base isn't used to moving fast any more, and they need to do so in this case. This is 6 months later than it should have been IMO, as this problem was entirely foreseeable (and actually was pointed out by several sources). We are damn lucky this happened because of Ukraine and not because the US was involved in ground war someplace.

Sounds like you get your wish re:taking their time with the Abrams. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-...s-ukraine/

The relevant info is that they are “ordering them from manufacturers “ and not using “existing US stocks”. I’m not 100% what that means since my impression is we were not producing new Abrams hulls, just upgrading existing ones, but sounds like it will be a while before tanks are shipped. Furthermore they emphasize the only reason we announce it now is to get the Germans moving on the Leopards. I also wonder how much of the repair and service aspects can be set up in Poland, who require this anyways for their upcoming M1 shipments.