In order to speed up the delivery of tanks to Ukraine, the United States decided to send the older model M1A1 instead of the promised M1A2, which would have taken longer to prepare.. Probably, we are talking about combat vehicles that the US Marine Corps decommissioned in 2019..

While the M1A1 lacks some of the technological advantages of the newer model, these tanks are still equipped with the “Firepower Upgrade Package,” which contains one system that is very useful to the Ukrainian military.. The publication adds that we are talking about a long-range target locator (FTL).

It is enough to press one button for the locator to calculate the coordinates of a potential target at a distance of up to 8 km. The crew of a tank, consisting of four people, can transmit these coordinates to an artillery battery by radio or digital network for strike. And all this happens in a few minutes..

Thus, the M1A1 can act as a fire spotter. It detects targets that are too far away for the tank to fire itself, but in the artillery fire zone. FTL combines a compass, a gyroscope and a processor that collects data from the tank's GPS system and its laser rangefinder.

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It goes something like this: the gunner spots the target through his optics, aims the laser at it to determine the distance, and then activates the FTL. This system, in turn, knows the coordinates of the tank, since it is equipped with GPS.. Using the data received from the laser rangefinder and using the orientation data from the compass, the system calculates the GPS coordinates of the target.

Forbes explains that many American weapons now use FTL. Even Javelin anti-tank missile command stations are equipped with this system.. However, in 2004, when the US Marines began upgrading 450 of their M1A1 tanks, locators were not yet part of the standard equipment package.. During the Iraq War, the tanks of several Marine units were fitted with FTL, after which they were asked to report on the experience of using. The crews spoke favorably about the system.

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“The Marine Corps FTL systems will provide tank crews with accuracy in determining the location of a target at a distance of up to 8 thousand meters with a probable circular deviation of 35 meters..

This means that positioning on the grid with an accuracy of up to 35 meters is provided for clarifying the situation and subsequent fire engagement, ”wrote Marine Corps Captain C in 2005. Rus.

Forbes explains that an accuracy of up to 35 meters is good enough even by today's standards.. Latest versions of FTL are two or three times more accurate. However, the presence of this system, even the older version, is better than its complete absence.. Naturally, nothing prevents the crews of Ukrainian T-64s from reporting the coordinates of the enemy artillery batteries they spotted.. However, they have to be calculated manually..