Australia donates retiring Abrams to Ukraine
The Australian government has announced it will gift 49 retiring M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine to bolster that country’s fight against the Russian invasion.
FILE PHOTO: An Australian Army M1A1 Abrams tank during Exercise Jericho Dawn 2016. Photo by Sergeant Pete Gammie.
This latest package, valued at approximately $245 million, will add to the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s firepower and mobility, and complement partners’ support for Ukraine’s armoured brigades – and brings the total value of Australia’s military assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion to more than $1.3 billion, and overall support to more than $1.5 billion.
Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy will be at the NATO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels and will confirm this news directly with his Ukrainian counterpart.
“These tanks will deliver more firepower and mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and complement the support provided by our partners for Ukraine,” Mr Conroy said.
“As we face a challenging geostrategic environment, it is important that we continue to work together with our partners around the world to deter aggression and coercion and protect the global rules-based order.
“The M1A1 Abrams tanks have been an important capability for the Australian Army and will see both the capability and resistance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine further bolstered.
“As was announced in January 2022, the Australian Army M1A1 Abrams are being replaced by an M1A2 fleet.
To support the transition, the Australian Army will retain a small number of M1A1 Abrams tanks to assist the introduction of the new M1A2 fleet.
The Australian Defence Force also continues to make significant contributions to multinational efforts to train Ukrainian military personnel under Operation Kudu.
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