Ukraine Receives US Marine Corps M1150 Mine Removal Tanks

The US Marine Corps is divesting itself of most heavy equipment like tanks, artillery and related armor, in order to become a stealthier, more mobile force. 

Ukraine is the beneficiary of this change as it will be able to put the Marines' mine removal systems to good use against the Russians. JL 

Howard Altman reports in The Drive:

Looking like a cross between a tank and a harvesting machine, the U.S. M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) will help Ukrainian troops clear the hundreds of miles of dense mine fields the Russians have built up. The M1150 ABV as a “mobile heavily armored minefield and obstacle breaching system. It consists of an M1A1 Abrams tank hull; a turret with two Linear Demolition Charge Systems ; a Lane Marking System; Integrated Vision; and a Mine Plow or Combat Dozer Blade.” The Marines are divesting M1150s as part of the move away from armor and "larger, legacy systems."During a ceremony to celebrate the Day of Missile Forces and Artillery and Engineering Troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a chance to observe a very unusual-looking armored vehicle.

Looking like a cross between a tank and a harvesting machine, the U.S.-made M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) will provide critical capabilities helping Ukrainian troops clear the hundreds of miles of dense mine fields the Russians have built up.

The U.S. Army describes the M1150 ABV as a “highly mobile and heavily armored minefield and complex obstacle breaching system. It consists of an M1A1 Abrams tank hull; a unique turret with two Linear Demolition Charge Systems (employing two Mine Clearing Line Charges [MICLIC] and rockets); a Lane Marking System [LMS]; Integrated Vision System; and a High Lift Adapter that interchangeably mounts a Full Width Mine Plow [FWMP] or a Combat Dozer Blade.”

How it arrived in Ukraine is not clear. There are no M1150s specifically noted on the list of items the Pentagon has provided Ukraine. It likely falls into the nebulous category of "mine clearing equipment" contained among the nearly $45 billion in security assistance provided to Ukraine by the Biden Administration.

The U.S. has shipped the first tranche of what will be 31 Abrams main battle tanks, of which this is a derivative, to Ukraine.

The Marines, under their previous commandant, began to divest their M1150s as part of the overall move away from armor and "larger, legacy systems."

"The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicles (ABV) are being divested from the Marine Corps in an effort to accelerate modernization and realign 1st Combat Engineer Battalion's (1st CEB) capabilities," the 1st Marine Division said on its Facebook page in September 2020. "Yesterday, Marines with 1st CEB disembarked the ABV's from San Mateo as a part of Force Design 2030."

M1150 Armored Breaching Vehicles divested by the Marine Corps in 2020. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by Cpl. Jailine L. AliceaSantiago)

While the Marines don't want them anymore, the M1150s will come in very handy in Ukraine, where its counteroffensive has largely bogged down thanks in large measure to massive mine fields.

You can read more about what the M1150 can bring to the table in our deep dive here.