M1 Abrams vs. T-14 Armata - Who Win? Key Facts and Summary: Amidst discussions about global conflicts, there's speculation about a potential confrontation involving U.S. and Russian tanks, particularly the M1 Abrams and the T-14 Armata.

-The M1 Abrams, renowned for its proven combat effectiveness, notably during Desert Storm against Soviet-era Iraqi forces, is considered superior due to its battle-tested capabilities, advanced armor, and upgraded thermal imaging systems.

-Despite the innovative features of the T-14 Armata, such as lighter armor and a more powerful engine, it remains largely untested in combat, with Russia hesitant to deploy it due to its high cost and production complexities. Additionally, the U.S. has a larger inventory of Abrams tanks compared to Russia's T-14s, suggesting a numerical advantage in any potential direct conflict.

M1 Abrams vs. T-14 Armata: Evaluating Tank Capabilities in Hypothetical U.S.-Russia Conflict

With all the talk about the presidential election and the Israel-Hamas War, we are forgetting about the Ukraine War that is tearing at the heart of Europe currently. At any moment, despite all the aid that the West has poured into the Ukrainian defense, Kiev’s forces are at their breaking point.

Meanwhile, NATO members, such as France, are contemplating deploying their forces into Ukraine itself—a clear provocation for Russia. In fact, Russia has again upped the ante in the nuclear warfare arena. 

At some point, the precarious balance between the US-led coalition and Russia is likely to break. NATO and, specifically American, forces will soon be deployed against Russian forces in what will likely be the dumbest war ever conceived. 

So, while nukes would be a huge game-ender, it is unlikely that this is the first weapon that will be deployed. What’s more likely is that more conventional forces will first face each other. Such as American and Russian tank forces. 

And there is a chance that Moscow gets over its worries about losing their vaunted T-14 Armata fifth-generation tank and deploys them to tango with their American rivals. If that’s the case, the most likely tank that the T-14s will battle would be the legendary US Army M1 Abrams tank.

Under these conditions, tank enthusiasts want to know which system would win? 

The M1 Abrams Can Never Be Underestimated

The M1 Abrams has a stellar service record. It was the tank that defeated Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Army in Desert Storm. Saddam’s force, at the time the fourth-largest military in the world. Iraq’s Armed Forces were essentially a cloned force of the Soviet Red Army from the 1980s and early 90s. They had Soviet era tanks in large numbers. Soviet small arms. Soviet artillery and rocket systems. 

In many respects, Desert Storm was a riff of what a US-Soviet war might have looked like. Only instead of the forests of Central Europe, it was waged in the deserts of the Middle East. 

Of course, one could argue that the Iraqi military was nowhere near as well-trained as the Soviet Red Army was. 

And the US force that the Iraqis fought against was in its prime (unlike the American military today). Nevertheless, the Americans made minced meat of what was then top-of-the-line Russian military platforms and weapons.

Would that paradigm hold true today, especially considering that the M1 Abrams tanks, while advanced, are of an older generation of tanks than are the T-14 Armata tanks?

In short, the answer is yes. 

Russia has demonstrated an unwillingness to deploy the Armata in combat in Ukraine—against a force that is nowhere near as well-armed or trained as are the Americans. Moscow fears losing these systems in combat because of their cost and complexity to produce in large numbers. 

US Tankers Will Best Russians

What’s more, despite the T-14 Armata tanks being so advanced, if (and when, if the Biden Administration continues pushing their ill-fated Ukraine War agenda through the way they are) US Army Abrams tanks, rather than export model Abrams driven by foreign troops, battle against Russian T-14 Armatas, it is highly unlikely that the lighter armored T-14s would be a match for the American tanks. 

For instance, Russian state media argues that the Armata’s lighter armor, as well as its more powerful engine, can get the T-14 moving at a much faster clip than the slower and heavier Abrams tanks. On this matter, the Russians are correct. Yet, any potential tank match would hardly be waged according to the carefully calibrated settings that Russian state media has set for their claims to be true. 

In fact, as my colleague Kris Osborn has written, “the effectiveness of tanks in warfare pertains to heavily to the range and resolution of their thermal sights.” The Russians claim the Armata’s sights can see as far as five kilometers away in daylight and three-point-five kilometers away at night. 

That’s impressive. 

And I have spoken to former soldiers who’ve manned the Abrams in the last 15 years who complained about awful thermals for their gunners. Yet, the Army has spent much time and money perfecting the thermal systems for upgraded Abrams. They’re better than what the Russians have.

Plus, at its core, the Abrams is a battle-tested system with heavier armor than what the T-14 has. Sure, the T-14 has new composite materials that might be stronger than what is otherwise known to the public, but the hard-kill protection systems that were installed on most newer Abrams (and successfully tested by Israel in actual combat), coupled with the traditional armor beneath all that fancy new stuff puts the newer Abrams on par with the T-14s. 

In fact, the presence of that old-style armor beneath the hard-kill protection systems likely means that the M1 will be able to give as good as it gets.

We Should Give Our Respect to the T-14 Armata for Being a Modern Marvel

Don’t get me wrong. The T-14 Armata is a modern marvel. The Russians should be proud of their invention. But that’s all it is at this point. 

A nifty gizmo. 

Far too expensive and fancy to risk in combat. 

And what good is a tank that is too expensive and hard to replace in combat? 

Why the Abrams Beats the Armata: Numbers

Which brings us to the final point, while the Western defense industrial base is in shambles, the fact remains that the US and its partners have far more Abrams tanks available to them than the Russians do of the T-14 Armatas.

Thus, my money would be on the M1 Abrams tank, crewed by a team of professional, hard-charging US Army tankers, would best their Russian rivals in a T-14 Armata. 

Given that such a battle would herald a nuclear apocalypse over tiny Ukraine, let us all hope that we never get to see how these two systems would fare against each other in a real battle. 

About the Author: 

Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower (Republic Book Publishers), Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.