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With the U.S. now joining Germany and Britain in promising to send battle tanks to Ukraine, what are the capabilities and differences among the three types of tanks that will join the fight? VOA’s Steve Redisch takes their measure
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LanguageEnglish
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((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TANKS EXPLAINER (TV)
HEADLINE: US, German, British Tanks Bolster Ukraine’s Capabilities
TEASER: Abrams M1, Leopard 2 and Challenger 2 tanks offer Ukraine firepower, mobility and safety
PUBLISHED: 1/26/2023 at
BYLINE: Steve Redisch
CONTRIBUTOR: Rob Garver
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Sharon Shahid, Bowman
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, Reuters & Reuters photos
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO _x_
TRT:
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES: MAIN SOURCES USED: http://www.military-today.com/tanks/challenger_2.htm,
https://www.military.com/equipment/m1a2-abrams-main-battle-tank,
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/leopard_2.htm
https://www.newsweek.com/how-germany-leopard-2-tanks-compare-us-m1-abrams-ukraine-ramstein-1775318
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11674247/M1-Abrams-tank-vs-Leopard-2-Challenger-2-differences.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/25/abrams-vs-leopard-tanks-why-are-they-important-in-ukraine
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/politics/us-abram-tanks-ukraine/index.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/nato-s-most-advanced-tanks-could-change-the-course-of-war-in-ukraine/6932891.html#:~:text=While%20there%20are%20more%20than,also%20some%20uncommitted%20tanks%20available. ))
((ANCHOR LEAD))
[[With the U.S. now joining Germany and Britain in promising to send battle tanks to Ukraine, what are the capabilities and differences among the three types of tanks that will join the fight? VOA’s Steve Redisch takes their measure,]]
((NARRATOR))
((VO-Abrams M1 tanks various from Reuters & AP))
Powered by a 15-hundred horsepower engine, America’s Abrams M1 tank is widely considered the world’s most technologically sophisticated tank.
A crew of four operates the M1.
It is equipped with a 120-millimeter smooth bore cannon, used to destroy enemy tanks and other heavily armored vehicles.
The Abrams also has three machine guns — a heavy one to take out lightly armored vehicles and a pair of lighter ones that are considered anti-personnel weapons.
It can move at a top speed of around 65 kilometers per hour, with a maximum driving range of about 425 kilometers.
The Abrams M1 turbine engine runs best on jet fuel, which adds to the expense and logistics to operate it.
((VO LEOPARD 2 from AP or Reuters))
Germany’s Leopard 2 uses the more available diesel fuel to power its 15-hundred horsepower turbo-charged engine.
The Leopard 2 has many of the Abrams M1 features, such as the 120-millimeter smooth bore cannon and a pair of light machine guns.
The German and U.S. tanks are designed to better protect its four-person crew than the Soviet-made tanks that both Ukraine and Russia are currently using.
((RADIO TRACK-Gian Gentile is a former U.S. Army tank commander and military historian with the RAND Corporation))
((SOT-AP 4416503 @2:24)) AP
((Gian Gentile, Former U.S. Army Tank Commander))
“So, the M1A1 tanks, along with the Leopard 2s, the crew is much safer because the ammunition for those two types of tanks are outside of where the crew is sitting in the turret. And so, if a — If a M-1 tank or a Leopard 2 tank is hit and everything is right in the turret, the rounds go up and out. Whereas on a T-72 tank, the rounds are inside the turret with the crew, and they're much more prone to be set off and cause catastrophic damage to the tank crew and the tank itself.”
((NARRATOR))
((VO-LEOPARD TANK Reuters or AP))
With a crew of four, the Leopard 2 has a similar maximum speed as the Abrams, but its range is about 340 kilometers.
Availability is the Leopard’s biggest asset. More than 2,000 are spread through multiple European countries.
((VO CHALLENGER TANK AP))
Britain's Challenger 2 has a 120-millimeter rifle gun as its main weapon, along with a couple of light machine guns, like the other tanks. And its ammunition is also stored outside of the crew compartment.
Its diesel fueled engine is smaller --- 12-hundred horsepower. And the Challenger 2 does not move as fast as the others.
But its maximum driving range of more than 500 kilometers is significantly better than either the U.S. or German-made tanks.
Steve Redisch, VOA News.
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJanuary 26, 2023 20:06 EST
BylineSteve Redisch
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
