The Biden administration is now leaning toward sending its M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine despite recent comments from Pentagon officials about how they would be difficult for Ukrainian forces to maintain, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The Associated Press later reported the administration is “poised” to approve the transfer under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows the US to purchase equipment for Ukraine. Military aid under the USAI could take months or years to deliver. US officials told AP that a new weapons package for Ukraine that includes the tanks could be announced as soon as Wednesday.
It’s not clear how many tanks the US will pledge, but the Journal cited unnamed US officials who said the administration could send a “significant number” of the Abrams as part of a deal to get Germany to send a smaller number of its own Leopard 2 tanks.
A source told Reuters that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send tanks to Ukraine and to allow other countries that have the Leopard 2 to do so as well. Poland said Tuesday that it formally asked Berlin if it could export its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The Leopard 2s could be delivered much more quickly than the Abrams since they would likely be sent directly from countries’ military stockpiles.
Der Spiegel reported that Germany is ready to send Ukraine 14 Leopard 2s from its military’s stocks and will sign off on the delivery from Poland and an ally in Scandanavia.
Pentagon officials have said that the Leopard 2 tanks would be better for Ukraine since they’re operated across Europe, making spare parts and maintenance more available. But German officials wanted the US to also send the Abrams over fears that Ukraine ending up with a large fleet of mostly German-made tanks could single out Germany for potential Russian retaliation.
Scholz previously said he was not providing tanks to Ukraine because he wanted to avoid a direct clash between Russia and NATO. But the US and other NATO countries are less concerned about escalating the war and put heavy pressure on Berlin to send the tanks.
Hawks in Congress have been pressuring the Biden administration to provide the Abrams, with Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, demanding the US send “just one” tank to get Berlin to oblige.
The US providing its main battle tank would mark the latest significant escalation of military aid for Ukraine. In January alone, the US pledged over $5.5 billion in military aid for Ukraine and started providing Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles for the first time.
The funds for the military aid are being pulled from the latest aid package for Ukraine that was passed in December. At this point, the US has authorized about $113 billion to spend on the war since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
M1 Abrams tank = 0.6 mpg.
don’t forget to send an instruction manual as well as a Chilton’s Repair Handbook.
idiots.
Let’s see how they will solve the problem of the delivery of those 54 ton tanks to the front line. It could be done either by strong trucks with platforms or railroad transport. Both are very much vulnerable. If they want those tanks influence the situation, they need a lot of them and also the air force, artillery and infantry to support them. It means a heavy involvement of NATO in the war. And of course, yes, a lot of fuel too and the repairing infrastructure.
By the time the tanks get to Ukraine the supply line will be shortened to a few miles East of the Polish borders.
Ukrainians don’t do repairs. They have Zelensky to beg for more tanks.
If it looks like a war, talks like a war, it must be a war.
I think you mean Duck……INCOMMING.
Don’t say that in Russia, they will put you in jail
Only when in reference to the Special Military Operation… As for NATO’s actions against Russia – yeah, that is war.
The morality of this war is so fucked up. We can’t doubt US intentions after decades at war for what always turns out to be oil and pipeline related – nope, this is a pure war we suddenly decided we needed to risk nuclear conflict for out of genuine goodness that only an FSB agent could doubt.
So we give our most advanced weapons to a massively corrupt eastern European nation (sometimes evil attacks shitty), that transparently wants to punish its attacker by starting a world war, without any meaningful debate, allowing them to decide the fate of the world. What happens if those tanks roll into Russia? We commit all the mistakes that started the first World War, smugly assuming that bad things don’t happen to the corrupt geniuses that run the world, so they feel content to risk everyone’s everything for an outcome they won’t even clearly state.
Funny, WWI was started because the British opposed German and Russian economic cooperation, that was the reason to form an alliance with Poland and the destruction of Germany and the Versailles humiliating surrender, it was why the US supported the British, to break the back of Bismarck Germany, the same reason was the WWII, and now the third time nothing has changed. Before the wars Germany and Russia were big trading partners. And this time much of it does involve the same thing, to break Russia and Germany. NATO is Germany’s enemy too. The Anglo-Saxons’ skill of deception is just amazing.
Nothing has changed, the Anglo-Saxons will destroy any competitor, they did it to Japan too. China is the next on the list.
And OPENLY! We brag about “pivoting to Asia” and confronting Russia all the time. We blamed a decade of electoral failure on Russia *while* meddling with their neighbor’s elections. All right out in the open, so we can gaslight the entire world pretending this is all just pure goodness defending strangers against aggression.
What’s great about M1 tanks, they stick out like a sore thumb.
and burn really well. Should keep Ukrainians warm this winter.
LOL
Please do. That should completely destroy any remaining reputation these tanks have. We already have plenty of videos of that trash burning in Mideast. Seeing videos of how that pitiful thing get stuck in icy puddle or unable climb a little snowy hill is hilarious.
I’m sure Russia will set them on fire the minute they enter the war zone, if not before.
The last time Panzers moved against Russians in Ukraine it didn’t end well. For the Panzers. . .
“US Poised to Send ‘Significant Number’ of M1 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine”
Pay atention at the 19 minute 48 second point in this YouTube video from The New Atlas about why the M1 Abrams tank will be a bad idea for Ukraine and Ukrainian forces to operate.
1. If improperly operated inside an M1 tanks a person can be maimed by the ammo compartment door or turret moving.
2. If operated with little training the tank can be broken by the crew.
A. Optics can be damaged.
B. Turbine engine and transmission costs 1.5 million and can be damaged by improper use.
C. The tank uses 3 gallons of fuel per mile and requires a support chain of fuel trucks.
D. Maintenance would require a 1,000 kilometer trip for the tank from the front to Poland for repairs.
E. For Saudi and Iraq it has taken 5 and 7 years to train tank crews with American contract instructors still in country.
3. At best there will be a parking lot full of American, British, and German tanks in Western Ukraine for Russia to take.
And even if they can properly crew them, and provide enough of them instead of a company here and there, tanks aren’t likely to be decisive in this war any more than a Napoleon 12-pounder would have been in WW2.
I don’t think they care.
It may be that this will end when all the excess / defective / dated military hardware has been offloaded
90 seconds to midnight. A new record. Awesome accomplishment.
https://thebulletin.org/2023/01/press-release-doomsday-clock-set-at-90-seconds-to-midnight/
Remember: The way to peace is via weapons transfers.
The leadership positions in the Western hemisphere are crawling with compliant sheep.
Better way to peace is by Putin pulling out.
Try calling for that in your future comments.
Perhaps the US could set a good example by withdrawing from its illegal occupation of Mexican territory. You know: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, California, Nevada, those bits. It would be a gracious gesture. And along the way, the US might close down a few hundred of its offshore military bases…stop strangling Cuba and Venezuela…admit that the oil under Iran is not really American…allocate a few Trillion dollars for reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan… you get the idea.
Also, that the oil in Syria is not ours to take.
Because we are taking it all. Did you see the pipeline from Syria to the US?
Great defense for your boy Putin. He can do whatever it wants and will always have your backing even if as childish as the one you just provided.
Because Mexico wants its land back.
GTFOH with this BS.
Perhaps we should all return our lands back to Adam and Eve.
It seems that I have struck a nerve…
Putin pulling out would empower the warmongers to start a war against China. The Empire can only survive as long as it can go on killing.
What a stupid statement.
You folks come up with all kinds of nonsense just to defend Putin. That’s desperation.
War is Peace. (where have I heard that?)
About 10 months ago, the news was filled with stories about how massive numbers of Russian tanks had been destroyed by shoulder fired weapons. I figure that what goes around, comes around.
I am surprised by how little talk there is about 𝐰𝐡𝐲 Ukraine needs tanks. Presumably, Ukraine is either contemplating previously untried strategies or they have assumed that the battlefield itself is about to change.
The media has been soft-pedaling the story about how they want 3000 tanks to attack Crimea.
So the USA is trying to give them few enough that they can threaten retaking territory, but hopefully don’t have enough to drive Russia to nuclear weapons.
If you read about Russia using a tactical nuke, get out of the cities. All this stuff was wargames in the cold war, and the geniuses in charge now are greedy enough to push over the line anyway.
We are one genius Ukrainian general or one bad accident away from WW3.
That might not go so well, but it gives the Germans cover
US/NATO are currently facing a choice………Surrender or Nuclear War. There are no other viable options.
The Ukrainian military was destroyed in the first month of the war. The Nazi’s in Ukraine understood this defeat and negotiated. US/NATO representative Boris Johnson flew to Kiev to stop an end to the war. The war should have ended in March.
Then NATO sent all the former Warsaw Treaty Organisation equipment to Kiev and sent more troops to the front. This second iteration of the Ukrainian military is in the process of being destroyed.
What we now see is a proposed US/NATO third iteration of the Ukrainian military with NATO weapons and troops this time, nothing else is available.
Yes, because as the Russian MOD reports, Ukraine lost 3,000 Leopard tanks, 29 F-35s, and a partridge in a pear tree yesterday.
https://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12452403@egNews
“403 Forbidden”
Yes, I heard that some Russian sites have been bombarded by cyber attacks from the West and periodically block Western IP ranges. That’s not an effective strategy for stopping serious attackers, but it can frustrate script kiddies.
It’s also fairly common to run into “Server Not Found” errors when trying to bring up Russian sites from the West. That is the result of blocks and DNS misdirection by Western officials and providers.
Use a VPN. In the current environment, it’s really necessary if you want to access diverse viewpoints on this mess.
I’ll try that (my free VPN of choice seems to be having problems at the moment, but I’ve been looking at another, paid one).
Trustworthy reviews and evaluations at CNET:
https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-vpn/
Another (indirect) option is Moon of Alabama (moonofalabama.org). Some of the commenters there include recent Russian MoD reports in their posts. It’s a more rowdy crowd than here, but the host, Bernhard, is very hospitable. I have found a lot of useful news there which I have not seen elsewhere.
Moon of Alabama A.k.A. Pro Russian site.
From the posted URL, to illustrate the way Russia’s MoD actually reports:
You can only see this if you are in Russia.
Strawman argument……NATO has not yet put leopard tanks and F16/F-35 fighters into Ukraine. So far its all been WTO (Warsaw Treaty Organisation) equipment.
If you read and understand my point above its very clear that Leopard tanks and F16 or F-35’s have to be introduced because all the WTO equipment is destroyed.
At some point even this reality will become obvious to you. At some point in the near future a Partridge in Pear Tree will fly by you.
The Russian MOD was announcing that it had destroyed Bradley Fighting Vehicles long before the first known contingent of those could have arrived in Ukraine.
While I argued that Ukraine could have picked up some Bradleys earlier, unannounced, the most plausible conclusion is that the Russian MOD comes up with its figures for destroyed Ukrainian equipment by visiting random.org.
They’re just messing with your head.
DS is right. There is no middle anymore for the US Hegemon. Continue with the lethality or admit the unspeakable – that the Aholes in Biden’s administration miscalculated a whole lot of things from the get go.
War Crimes Tribunals in the Hague await all the Western Leaders. They all need to stand trial for the Supreme International Crime…..the Crime of Aggression.
And those that spoke against Russia for protecting the Donbass from Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide need to understand what terrible people they are. They are the WARMONGERS.
But RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA right? nothing but racist bigotry.
All regime shot-callers should be sharing crowded cells.
But it’s not going to happen any time soon for the big dogs like Biden and Putin.
Not to mention the number of souls murdered by war when the west had in its hands the opportunity to endorse a preexisting agreement between the parties last March.
Since that day in March, this war and the deaths and injuries are on Joe Biden. This will form a chunk of his legacy, whether the US media and literati choose to recognize it, or not.
The war and deaths and injuries are on all those involved.
You’re responsible for what you do.
You speak as if wars don’t have a beginning and a middle, and …
You can look wherever you please. I’ll stick to the past 70+ years of coups, invasions, regime-changes, occupations, and treaty violations/withdrawals.
And when I look at all this – especially what’s occurred since the “end” of the cold war, I have no problem where to point a finger…
Your mileage may differ. If so, good for you.
The Hague ruling after WW2 is very clear. You are responsible for what others do in your name.
The Hague also defined the Supreme International Crime as “Aggression”
All the Western leaders will go to the Hague, yes it will take time.
The Hague is just a victor’s court, a particularly elaborate, pretentious and expensive form of performance art. History is written by victors, justice is dealt by victors. This is how the world is. George W Bush and his henchmen testify to that. The Hague would be turned into a heap of ashes speckled with smouldering cinder the moment they would try to be above all parties. The US formalized that in their The Hague Invasion Act, so as to leave no doubt to their purpose and the reach of their jurisdiction.
Yup. The repeated predictions in this forum that Western leaders face war crimes trials, and calls for them to be charged and tried, simply show that many among us don’t understand.
And Mazzel Stof ain’t kidding, folks. The US really would raid the Hague to free any Americans who happened to fall into the clutches of the ICC. Operation Enduring Impunity.
SEC. 2008. AUTHORITY TO FREE MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES AND CERTAIN OTHER PERSONS DETAINED OR IMPRISONED BY OR ON BEHALF OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT.
(a) AUTHORITY- The President is authorized to use all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any person described in subsection (b) who is being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court.
(b) PERSONS AUTHORIZED TO BE FREED- The authority of subsection (a) shall extend to the following persons:
(1) Covered United States persons.
(2) Covered allied persons.
(3) Individuals detained or imprisoned for official actions taken while the individual was a covered United States person or a covered allied person, and in the case of a covered allied person, upon the request of such government…..
SEC. 2013. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this title…:
************************
COVERED ALLIED PERSONS- The term `covered allied persons’ means military personnel, elected or appointed officials, and other persons employed by or working on behalf of the government of a NATO member country, a major non-NATO ally (including Australia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Argentina, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand), or Taiwan, for so long as that government is not a party to the International Criminal Court and wishes its officials and other persons working on its behalf to be exempted from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
COVERED UNITED STATES PERSONS- The term `covered United States persons’ means members of the Armed Forces of the United States, elected or appointed officials of the United States Government, and other persons employed by or working on behalf of the United States Government, for so long as the United States is not a party to the International Criminal Court.
https://2001-2009.state.gov/t/pm/rls/othr/misc/23425.htm
Mazzel Stof isn’t kidding. President George W. Bush signed it into law in 2002.
unless they’re torn to shredds by an angry mob of widows and orphans first.
People like Biden are heartless, souless, contemptable creatures. As is shown in his taking of classified documents, it’s all about the money for Joe and people like him.
We are one big war crime. The mother of all war crimes we have committed was dropping the atomic weapons on two cities in Japan.
They’ll be at Lubyanka.. The Hague will be rubble.
A failing empire(the U.S.) resorts to desperate measures to try and hang on to it’s dominance in the world order.
Im neutral in this war, but your claims of the Ukrainian military being annihilated over 330 days ago is beyond laughable.
That was the case from day one. Anybody with two brain cells to rub together must have known that from the very beginning. Thus, the question is why did Nato escalate to that point anyways? Did they think Putin would chicken out?
How long before America “advisors” are dying in Ukraine? How long before nuclear weapons start flying? We keep escalating this war that we provoked with no off ramps. And for what? Who controls the Donbass? Insanity.
It is for our financial masters who ran out of tricks, and war economy is the only way to expand credit sheets. In the meantime over a million protest in France the change in retirement age. Miney is needed to pay for Ukrainian retirements for few years. Sure, for as lingvas it takes.
Who is crewing those vehicles?
Getting them into the Ukraine will be a task.
Once they’re there, who and what is supposed to keep them supplied and safe from missiles, bombs, and arty? It’s not like they have a light footprint. How long does it realistically take to raise a whole new armored corps in a different language?
The answers to these questions are uncomfortably obvious. Rather that talk peace, the empire is doubling down on The Stupid
I’d be paying attention to where that frigate is heading if I were a beltway bandit.
There is some speculation that the Poles are mobilizing a 200k army. The tanks may arm a Nato intervention force that would move from Poland into Western Ukraine.
The serious problem has come to light recently. Ukraine has been storing miltary hardware and munitions around its NPP compounds to avoid Russia’s shelling. The obvious danger is — explosions in such facilities are not uncommon, and cliseness to NPP can cause a major environmental disaster.
Also, do we know who is really in charge in Kiev today? Zelenski may talk up a storm, but with some key leadership perishing suspiciously in helicopter accudent, Zelenski’s top advisor forced out, and highest levels of Munistry of defence charged with corruption related to war supplies. An official assasinated by Interior ministry has been now declared a hero. Problem is — Interior ninistry controls all the right wing paramilitaries. Aziv may have changed name as Ukraine has no Aziv Sea any more.
And whle Bakhmut operation is not letting up, Russia has moved its forces to advance in Zaporozhie.
It is a happy day when we can push Germany to send tanks to Ukraine to fight Russians. It mustvwarm the heart of Ursula Vin Der Layen recenging her grandfatger who was responsible for uprooting any resistance movements in Ukraine in WWII. Yes, let us have German tanks there again!
Who would have thiught that US would be the one yearning for the resurrection of Germany of old. In service to our Empire. Let Ukrainians, Russians, Poles and Germans die in large numbers. The less the better. Destroy their economy. Is Germany likely to step on that same rake for the third time?
The US supported the N/zis before and after the war, only to be interrupted for a short period in which it supported the Bolshevists during the war. It’s only logical that the US should support the Banderites in Ukraine and the Jihadists in the ME. The US loves N/zis and Terrorists as long as they do the US’s bidding.
This is all part of the neocon grand plan, Bianca. Deindustrialize Europe, turn Ukraine into a smoking ruin, and force the USA into a catastrophic war with Russia. The Great Reset, coming right up. The end of this empire will not be a pretty sight.
I hope that Justin is able to receive Bianca’s beyond outstanding commentaries on this obscene war and what drives it and where SHE sees it headed. More and more I go less and less to my usual web sites for factual news, articles, commentary, and the inside story. Invaluable resources like Southfront.org, The Cradle, the Duran, Moon of Alabama, VT, RT, Daniel Hopsicker and Counterpunch. If you or one believes, as Raimondo did and I do, that as Rothblatt proclaimed: War is the health of the nation. Then Bianca is our Oracle for this war.
US Poised to Send ‘Significant Number’ of M1 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine to be used as paperweights
How else will the Defense Dept. get the money to build newer and more expensive tanks? They have to get those old ones off the lot, even if they have to give them away. Or, as the camel traders say around here, “No credit? Bad credit? No problem!”
This makes no sense as a military strategy. A few dozen tanks — or even many more — are not going to change the outcome of the fighting. That would be true even if the training, maintenance and logistics issues could be overcome. If US-NATO political leaders don’t understand this, the military leaders certainly do.
So, perhaps this is another billion-dollar PR campaign. Perhaps the wannabe Planetary Masters™ have decided that sacrificing more Ukrainians and wrecking more of Ukraine for a few more days/weeks/months is “worth it” because they believe it will bleed Russia for a bit longer. Or perhaps there’s some military plan other than sending tanks to eastern Ukraine to be turned into scrap, like so many that have gone before.
My guess is that it’s part PR, part “get rid of a bunch of old stuff so we can spend money on new stuff,” and part “let’s find out what happens when one of our tanks runs into one of their anti-tank solutions or fires on one of their other things, so that we can improve our weaponry to match any deficiencies.”
But I guess it could be a genuine — even if incorrect — assessment that a small number of tank companies will make a big difference operationally, even if only as self-propelled artillery that has some protection and can displace quickly to avoid counter-battery fire (versus the characteristics of towed howitzers), rather than as maneuver elements per se.
It’s not even PR. It’s just senseless activism because the warmongers are shitting their pants. Short of launching a nuclear strike, there is nothing they can do to stop Russian victory.
This is a meaningless “thank you” letter to Germany.
I think it’s a move to prod Germany into doing something that Germany really doesn’t want to do and really should not do.
If only Germany were actually sovereign . . .
Not since 1945! Almost 80 years after the war, Germany can still be considered an American colony. Source
Well, the west leaves little doubt that they plan on escalating the war. It will be very difficult, nearly impossible to detour off of the path of a larger global conflict. When all else fails, the take you to war. After all, back home Joe needs something to distract from his document problems.
Troubling how they are burning down the offramps and calling any anti-war sentiment “treason”. Reminds me of the Iraq debacle, only this time the WMDs are real.
I am genuinely astonished at how effective the propaganda has been: broken healthcare system, homelessness everywhere, we are teetering on the edge of financial collapse and the vast majority of the population apparently believes this is Star Wars and Putin is Darth Vader. $100 billion + solving the problems of billionaires while Americans starve. Again.
P.s. I’m pretty sure Joe’s document problems is being cooked up to force Kamala Harris on us
Having lost most of its 2,500 tanks already, a few hundred Western tanks won’t improve Ukraine’s chances. On the contrary, the logistic nightmare of having to deal with these different types of tanks will severely impact Ukraine’s ability to continue the war. Moreover, seeing German battle tanks once again roll towards the Russian border is bound to boost Russian fighting moral tremendously.
When the Russians turn them into scrap metal on the battle field, the commercial prospects of their manufacturers is bound to take a severe beating. Without the proper training (which takes years) and without the ability to conduct combined arms warfare these tanks are just sitting ducks for the Russian artillery.
There is some speculation that the Western allies are setting up Germany to fight a war against Russia (again). It may well be that this motivates some people (for example the Brits), but I think the primary reason in pushing for the Leopards 2 is that many countries in Europe have some Leopards they may spare and that these diesel powered tanks are easier to service for Ukrainians than the Abrahams.
I’m pretty sure diesel is a lot more rugged and less temperamental than gas turbine. And while the Soviet T-80 used gas turbine, there are probably a lot more experienced diesel mechanics than gas turbine mechanics available.
Also, getting the M-1 from CONUS to Europe is a logistical nightmare. A Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a huge aircraft. I can carry one M1 due to the insane weight. During Desert Shield, the US Marine Corps pulled its M60s out of storage and rounded up experienced M60 tank crews (including a friend in my infantry reserve unit) because the C-5 could move them three at a time and they needed as many tanks as they could get as quickly as they could get them.
I think the C-5 might be able to carry two Abrams if the tanks are stripped down, defueled, and the gods are smiling. And the loading ramp doesn’t break. In other words, not in the real world.
A C-17 can carry one, but I don’t think anyone is going to send a C-17 anywhere near the front in Ukraine.
Any Abrams headed in that direction are going to travel by sea, rail, and truck-transporter. There won’t be many and they won’t be delivered quickly.
Gas guzzlers impossible to maintain, 100 kilometers from repair facilities, employed by untrained soldiers and without air cover. Sounds like this idea comes straight from the brain of Biden.
There are no appropriate repair facilities in Ukraine and no one is likely to establish any. They would be prime targets for the Russians and experienced contract maintenance personnel from other nations probably wouldn’t be eager to work in them.
It’s 500-600 air miles from the front lines in northern Donetsk to the nearest points on the borders with Poland and/or Romania. And Abrams tanks definitely will not be flown to and from the front. It’s a lot longer by overland routes.
It looks like it might be “only” 300 or so miles by road from Kherson City to the Romanian border, via Nikolaev and Odessa. I don’t know if the roads and bridges are adequate for Abrams tanks on their transporters.
If the intention is actually to support Ukrainian troops on the fronts in the east and south, this looks like a stupid plan. If some other use for the tanks is contemplated, it will be interesting to learn about it.
Ukraine has no appropriate repair facilities for an engine type that’s been in use since 1895, and which was used on the Russian T-80? Sounds legit.
1. Did I refer specifically to engines? No.
2. No, the gas turbine has not been in use since 1895.
3. I think Ukraine only had the diesel version of the T-80 at the beginning of this war. I know that only the diesel version was manufactured there.
“No, the gas turbine has not been in use since 1895.”
That was the first major installation of it for wide usage. It was in development and testing for decades before that.
Tell me where there was a major installation of a gas turbine in 1895, please.
Cambridge Power Station in the UK. It powered that city’s first electric street lights.
The first US patent on a gas turbine engine was issued in 1899. Tesla (the scientist, not the electric car company) patented one in 1913.
Gas turbine engines have been continuously improved, but it’s old technology. Both Germany and the UK were testing them for jet aircraft propulsion by the late 1930s and of course the Germans won that race in 1944. The Germans also had plans to use them in the Panther tank, but the war ended, so they weren’t used in tanks until the 1950s (the British Conqueror and the Swedish Strisvagn 103).
I did find out, however, that the Ukrainian version of the T-80 used a diesel turbine instead of gas turbine, so their mechanics may not have the benefit of having worked on tank-specific gas turbine engines.
Yup, that’s true. But the Parsons turbines were steam driven. They weren’t gas turbines.
https://appel.nasa.gov/2010/02/26/ao_1-13_f_parsons-html/
It was years later (I’d have to look up the history to remember/be sure how many years) before anyone built a gas turbine that didn’t take more energy inputs than it delivered.
More energy out than in happened in 1903. Aegidius Elling of Norway.
Thanks.