How do tanks get to iraq

In January , a video circulated depicting an M1 flying the flag of Kataib Hezbollah, which the United States has labeled a terrorist group. In February , the U. The militias seized some of the M1s from the Islamic State after militants captured them, a U.

Central Command spokesperson told FP. One M1 fought on the side of pro-Iran militias in skirmishes with U. The Kurds disabled the M1.

The General Dynamics contractor said in late February that just two M1s remain unaccounted for. In December, American pressure on the Iraqis increased, but the Iraqis believed the Americans were bluffing, the contractor said. Technically, the U. But for all practical purposes, the tank-maintenance effort is in limbo until the Iraqis get the last two M1s back from the militias. At present, just 10 General Dynamics employees are still in Iraq as part of the M1 program, the contractor said.

Their only job is to protect the dozens of broken-down and battle-damaged tanks that remain in storage. A General Dynamics spokesperson declined to comment on the issue.

The Iraqi Embassy in Washington, D. The contractor expressed pride in his work in Iraq. An Iraqi soldier stands atop an Abrams tank during a training session with U. In August , Iraq took delivery of the first Abrams tanks. Iraqi officials said that Russian experts on the tanks had retrained officers and armored crews from the 35th Mechanized Brigade on the new equipment. The press release did not say whether the individuals helping with retraining were Russian military officials or industry contractors.

The TS is produced by UralVagonZavod — one of the largest main battle tank manufacturers in the world. The T tanks are an outgrowth of the Soviet-era Ts, variants of which were widely used by the Iraqi Ba'athist Army prior to the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein. The TS is outfitted with a mm smoothbore tank gun, with a rate of fire of seven rounds per minute.

The tank also has a The T tank is reportedly sought after by armed forces across the world looking to build modern armored units with advances like explosive reactive armor — which helps defeat increasingly common high explosive anti-tank warheads — as well as electronic countermeasure suites and heavier weapons systems. Kyle Rempfer is an editor and reporter whose investigations have covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents.

Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U. Upon arrival the tanks are secured at the BCTC where they are unpackaged and tested before their transition to the Iraqi army. If they should find anything wrong due to the shipment process, they will fix the issue before turning them over to the Iraqi army. Currently, 85 tanks have been fielded to the Iraqi army and more than 40 are ready for transfer in the near future.

Army Lt.