The unique purpose of this combat engineering vehicle is minefield clearance.
An American-produced assault vehicle, the M1150 (ABV), was spotted at a ceremony attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the occasion of Rocket, Artillery, and Engineer Troops Day, according to Sarbaz.kz.
The transfer of this military vehicle, which is only available in small quantities in the U.S. Army, was not publicized. This means that after the United States, Ukraine became the second operator of the M1150 Breacher (ABV) vehicle.
The American assault vehicle M1150 Breacher (ABV) will provide vital capabilities to the Ukrainian armed forces for aiding in the clearance of hundreds of kilometers of dense minefields, which disrupted the counteroffensive. It is unclear how it made its way into Ukrainian territory. In the list of supplies sent to Ukraine by the Pentagon, there is no mention of the M1150. It likely falls under the broad category of "demining equipment," which the Biden administration sent to Ukraine along with approximately 45 billion U.S. dollars in security assistance.
According to the U.S. Army, the M1150 ABV is a "high-mobility obstacle breaching system."
During the development of the M1150 Breacher (ABV) assault vehicle, the operational tasks of the U.S. Marine Corps were taken into account. The unique purpose of this combat engineering vehicle is minefield clearance, allowing other armored and military vehicles to safely pass through. Essentially, the M1150 ABV allows attacking units to quickly overcome barriers before the enemy can fortify their defenses. This vehicle proved its worth in Afghanistan in 2009.
The M1150 Breacher assault vehicle is based on a modified chassis from the main battle tank M1A1 Abrams. It's important to note that the ABV is equipped with a refurbished Abrams MBT chassis obtained from surplus army stocks. The M1A1 turret was removed and replaced with a new superstructure.
This combat engineering vehicle was developed using various integrated subsystems to reduce the time and cost of development. Several specially manufactured engineering accessories for this vehicle were provided by Pearson Engineering, based in the United Kingdom. These include dozer blades, lane-marking systems, full-width and ground-based mine ploughs, as well as ordnance quick clearance devices. Depending on operational requirements, this equipment can be quickly installed or removed.
The vehicle also features two linear charge launching systems for demining installed at the rear of the superstructure. These are rockets carrying explosives that can detonate mines, bombs, or improvised explosive devices at a safe distance, flying up to 100-150 meters ahead. This creates safe lanes on minefields for armored vehicles and personnel.
