President Biden announced today that the U.S. will send 31 Abrams tanks to push back against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
From the New York Times:
But by promising Abrams tanks — which John F. Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, said would take “many months” to be built by General Dynamics — Mr. Biden was able to give Mr. Scholz political cover to send Leopard tanks by early spring. And Germany’s decision opened the way for Spain, Poland and Finland to do the same, with Norway likely next to announce a similar contribution.
The Abrams tank is named after WWII tank commander Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr. (1914-1974). It has a massive 500 gallon fuel tank for its 1,500-horsepower gas turbine engine that runs on jet fuel, gasoline or diesel. The engine is very reliable, but the high fuel consumption could present a serious logistic problem in places such as Ukraine.