Ukraine has been forced to sideline US-provide Abrams tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack.
The US agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive months-long campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.
But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones - tactics also used to great effect by Ukraine's armed forces.
Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect their American made tanks, which are considered high priority targets by Russian units.
Russian troops claimed to have destroyed the first Abrams tank in Ukraine in February, with several Russian military bloggers sharing a clip of the armour on fire following a drone strike.
Since then, Moscow's forces have honed their approach to tackling Western armour.
Five of the 31 Abrams tanks in Ukraine have been destroyed in the past three months.
Russian troops claimed to have destroyed the first Abrams tank in Ukraine in February
Several Russian military bloggers sharing a clip of the armour on fire following a drone strike in February
Since then, Moscow's troops have honed their approach to tackling Western tanks
US Army M1A1 Abrams tanks were delivered to Ukraine last year after the Biden administration green-lit their transfer in January 2023 after months of pleas from Kyiv
The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means 'there isn't open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,' a senior US defence official told reporters Thursday.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide an update on US weapons support for Ukraine before Friday's Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting.
For now, the tanks have been moved from the front lines, and the US will work with the Ukrainians to reset tactics, said Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Adm. Christopher Grady and a third defence official who confirmed the move on the condition of anonymity.
'When you think about the way the fight has evolved, massed armour in an environment where unmanned aerial systems are ubiquitous can be at risk,' Grady said this week, adding that tanks are still important.
'Now, there is a way to do it,' he said.
'We'll work with our Ukrainian partners, and other partners on the ground, to help them think through how they might use that, in that kind of changed environment now, where everything is seen immediately.'
News of the sidelined tanks comes as the US marks the two-year anniversary of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, a coalition of about 50 countries that meets monthly to assess Ukraine's battlefield needs and identify where to find needed ammunition, weapons or maintenance to keep Ukraine's troops equipped.
Recent aid packages also reflect a wider reset for Ukrainian forces in the evolving fight, emphasising counter-drone capabilities, including .50-caliber rounds specifically modified to counter drone systems; additional air defences and ammunition; and a host of alternative, and cheaper, vehicles, including Humvees, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (APVs).
The US also confirmed it is providing long-range ballistic missiles known as ATACMS, which allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian-occupied areas without having to advance and be further exposed to either drone detection or fortified Russian defences.
Russian military correspondent Alexander Kots said in February that the first American Abrams tank had been destroyed near Avdiivka
After announcing it would provide Ukraine the Abrams tanks in January 2023, the US began training Ukrainians at Grafenwoehr Army base in Germany that spring on how to maintain and operate them.
They also taught the Ukrainians how to use them in combined arms warfare - where the tanks operate as part of a system of advancing armoured forces, coordinating movements with overhead offensive fires, infantry troops and air assets.
As the spring progressed and Ukraine's highly anticipated counteroffensive stalled, shifting from tank training in Germany to getting Abrams on the battlefield was seen as an imperative to breach fortified Russian lines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on his Telegram channel in September that the Abrams had arrived in Ukraine.
Since then, however, Ukraine has only employed them in a limited fashion and has not made combined arms warfare part of its operations, the defence official said.
During its recent withdrawal from Avdiivka, a city in eastern Ukraine that was the focus of intense fighting for months, several tanks were lost to Russian attacks, the official said.
A long delay by Congress in passing new funding for Ukraine meant its forces had to ration ammunition, and in some cases they were only able to shoot back once for every five or more times they were targeted by Russian forces.
In Avdiivka, Ukrainian forces were badly outgunned and fighting back against Russian glide bombs and hunter-killer drones with whatever ammunition they had left.
