Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said that when the United States promised to provide Ukraine with the Abrams, the intent was to provide its more advanced variant, the M1A2. But, he said, officials continued “exploring options to deliver the armored capability as quickly as possible” and settled on refurbishing older M1A1 variants, allowing for expedited delivery. He did not clarify where it found those hulls in the American arsenal.
“This is about getting this important combat capability into the hands of the Ukrainians sooner rather than later,” Ryder told reporters during a news conference.
Both versions of the tank have a 120mm cannon and machine guns, while the M1A2 typically also includes digital controls, improved sensors and a thermal viewer for the tank’s commander.