Iraqi M1 Abrams - A video released by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense shows that one of the T-90S tanks was handed over to the 35th Brigade of the Iraqi Army. (Iraq Ministry of Defense)

Iraq's Bronevik Brigade has replaced American M1A1 Abrams tanks with Russian T-90S main battle tanks, possibly for geopolitical reasons.

Iraqi M1 Abrams

Iraqi M1 Abrams

The exchange comes after US officials complained that Abrams tanks had fallen into the hands of Iran-backed militias and could be a way for Russia to gain more influence in the region.

Tamiya 1/35 Us M1a2 Abrams Operation Iraqi Freedom

"I think this decision is at least a catalyst by addressing that issue," said James Phillips, senior fellow for Middle East affairs at the Heritage Foundation.

"But it shows [the U.S.] is not a monopoly on tanks, and Iraq can get them from Russia," he added. "It will reduce American influence and increase Baghdad's options in the future."

The deal began earlier this year, when Russian state media reported that Russia's first delivery of about 35 tanks had arrived in February, with another batch of more than 30 tanks expected to arrive in late April.

That second delivery appeared to be confirmed last week, when the Iraqi Ministry of Defense released a video in Arabic introducing the new T-90S tanks.

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According to Russian state media, Iraqi Chief of Staff Osman Ghanmi said the tank contract would help "increase the combat capability of the armored vehicles."

Iraqi military officials said the tanks will go to two battalions of the 9th Brownian Division, 35th Mechanized Brigade.

The deal comes as nine M1A1 Abrams tanks fall into the hands of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, which are mainly affiliated with Iran and the Shiite sect but have been authorized to fight Iraq. . Govt.

Iraqi M1 Abrams

Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told Military Times in February that the U.S. military does not provide defense equipment to the PMF.

Tamiya 1/35 Us Mbt M1a2 Abrams Iraqi Freedom

Nine Abrams tanks have fallen into the hands of Iranian-backed militias in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday that nine US-issued M1A1 Abrams tanks, including nine M1A1 Abrams tanks, had fallen into the hands of Iran-backed militias.

"However, we have seen incidents of some equipment, including M1 Abrams tanks from the United States, falling into the hands of PMF groups," Pahon said.

Although Pahon added that the equipment was used to fight Islamic State militants, Abrams tanks reportedly helped crush Kurdish separatists in Kirkuk, Iraq, in October.

Regardless, the use of the Abrams by Iranian-backed militias has fueled speculation that General Dynamics is canceling contracts to service the tanks.

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If this happens, the existing fleet of Abrams could be destroyed. Moving to the Russian procurement process with the T-90 tank bypasses this sticking point.

(FILES) - An Iraqi soldier stands on top of an Abrams-M1A1 tank while another jumps to the ground during a training session with the U.S. Army on the use of American-made main battle tanks. The US is at the Iraq-US military base in Basmaya. March 15, 2010, located south of Baghdad. . AFP PHOTO/ALI AL-SAADI (Image credit should read ALI AL-SAADI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi officials said Russian tank experts retrained officers and armored personnel from the 35th Mechanized Brigade on the new equipment. The media did not mention whether the people helping with the retraining were Russian military officials or industrial contractors.

Iraqi M1 Abrams

The T-90S is produced by UralVagonZavod, one of the world's largest manufacturers of battle tanks.

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"This is one of the most popular tanks on the gun market," the company said of the tank on its official website.

The T-90 tank is an outgrowth of the Soviet-era T-72, a variant of which was used extensively by the Baath Iraqi army before the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein.

The T-90S is equipped with a 125mm round-barreled tank gun with a rate of fire of seven rounds per minute. The tank is also equipped with a remote-controlled 12.7 mm anti-aircraft heavy machine gun and can reach a speed of 40 mph.

The T-90 tank is said to be used by armed forces around the world to build modern armor with advanced weapons such as explosive jet armor to help defeat increasingly common anti-explosive warheads, as well as electronic countermeasures and heavier weapons systems. .

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Kyle Rempfer is an editor and journalist who covers combat operations, crime, foreign military aid, and training events. Prior to entering journalism, Kyle served in the US Air Force Special Tactics and was deployed to Paktika Province, Afghanistan and Baghdad, Iraq in 2014.

Tags: Russian M1A1 Abrams T-90S Main Battle Tank Russian Tank US Tank M1 Abrams vs T-90S Iraqi Armored Fusion Iraqi Tank Shiite Militia PMF Popular Mobilization Forces Battle for Kirkuk

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Iraqi M1 Abrams

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Ukrainian building suffers deadliest civilian attack in months. Ukrainian rescue workers raced to retrieve survivors from a building hit by a missile in Dnipro, southeastern Russia. The Iraqi military announced last month that the fourth delivery of the Russian-made T-90 main battle tank (MBT) had been delivered to the Iraqi 9th Brownian Division. Earlier stocks of T-90s were used by the 9th Division's 34th and 35th Brigades to replace US-supplied M1A1M Abrams MBTs. After a number of Iraqi M1A1Ms were used by Iranian-backed militias, the US has been cautious about supplying the Iraqis with additional tanks.

The T-90 workstation was based on the T-72 and was purchased both as a viable replacement for damaged or destroyed M1A1s and as a means of escaping US restrictions on the Abrams' deployment. M1A1Ms will continue to serve with future Iraqi tank forces. The T-90 is trained by Russian personnel in Iraq and requires more maintenance than American tanks.

Iraqi T-90s are believed to include the export standard T-90S and the command version T-90SK. Both are equipped with the venerable 125mm 2A46M smoothbore main gun, which can fire 9M119M Reflex anti-tank missiles or fire 125mm rounds. It also operates a mounted 7.62x54mm PKMT medium machine gun and a roof-mounted 12.7x108mm NSV heavy machine gun remotely operated from inside the turret.

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The T-90 is protected by composite armor enhanced with Kontakt-5 Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA), which shields missiles and artillery before enemy bombs hit the tank's skin. In addition, a version of the Shtora-1 active protection system (APS) alerts the crew if it is "painted" by a range finder or laser pointer. It lacks the full-fledged Shtora-1 system to jam the ATGM with an infrared sight, a feature typically found only on Russian military T-90A models and the small number of T-90As supplied to Syrian regime forces. In the United States, but missing in Iraq, the tanks, which fell into the hands of American militiamen, have fueled tensions with Baghdad over aid.

An Iraqi Army M1A1 Abrams tank heads toward Mosul on November 4, 2016. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)

A US company that repairs Iraqi-made M1A1 Abrams tanks has pulled most of its staff out of Iraq after at least nine tanks fell into the hands of pro-Iranian militias. Today, many of Iraq's tanks are in a state of disrepair, potentially jeopardizing the country's ongoing operations against Islamic State militants.

Iraqi M1 Abrams

As Islamic State withdraws from large swaths of Iraq it once controlled, mobile militant groups continue to attack Iraqi troops and their allies. In mid-February, an Islamic State attack near the town of Hawija reportedly killed 27 militants fighting for Baghdad.

M1 Abrams On Way Out? More T 90 Main Battle Tanks For Iraq

Iraq has bought 140 of the 63-ton M1s for $2 billion since 2008, retrofitting some of its armored vehicles to use Soviet-made vehicles, many of which were destroyed by the U.S.-led coalition during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

A U.S. company that repairs U.S.-made Abrams M1A1 tanks in Iraq has pulled most of its personnel out of Iraq after at least nine armored vehicles.

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