Why have so many US-made Abrams tanks been destroyed in Ukraine?

In February, footage emerged of an American-made Abrams tank being destroyed in Ukraine, believed to be the first video of one being knocked out by the Russian army.

But it was by no means the last. The Ukrainians managed to lose three of the M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks in little over a week, and they have lost even more since the footage first appeared online - despite it ranking among the world's best.

The US made war machine entered service in 1986. It weighs around 60 tons, is powered by a gas turbine engine and is armed with a 120 millimetre main cannon.

What's more, it is coated in Chobham composite armour, which provides some of the best protection in the world to the crew of four who sit inside the turret.

In a head-to-head fight, the Abrams would likely come out on top against any tank in Russia 's ranks, and there were high hopes that the vehicles would help Ukraine launch a counteroffensive against the invading Russians when 31 were handed to Kyiv by the Americans in 2023, along with a host of other western weaponry.

However, it is not other tanks that are destroying the Abrams in Ukraine.

According to Russia, the tank destroyed in the February footage was disabled by a Piranha FPV (first person view) drone - a powerful UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that can carry a payload of up to 2.5 kilos to its target, all from a safe distance.

The fact that so many of the tanks have been destroyed by such weapons has raised the question: Does the American M1 Abrams still have a place on the battlefield?

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