Aussie tanks arrive in Ukraine
The transfer of the first tranche of Australian-gifted M1A1 Abrams tanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been completed.
FILE PHOTO (7 May 2025): Australian Army M1A1 Abrams tanks await loading onto a ship in Australia, bound for Ukraine. Photo by Sergeant Tristan Kennedy.
In response to a request from the Government of Ukraine, Australia is providing 49 Abrams tanks to help bolster its fight against the Russian invasion.
Ukraine has now taken possession of the majority of these tanks, with delivery of the final tranche to occur in the coming months.
Australia’s Abrams tanks will add to the mobility and firepower of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, and complement other partners’ support for Ukraine’s armoured brigades.
Minister for Defence Richard Marles said this support package, valued at approximately $245 million, was part of the $1.5 billion in assistance Australia had committed to Ukraine since the start of this conflict.
“The M1A1 Abrams tanks will make a significant contribution to Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion,” Mr Marles said.
“Australia remains steadfast in our support for Ukraine and seeing a just and lasting peace.”
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said these modified M1A1 Abrams tanks would deliver more firepower and more mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In August, Australia will deploy a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to Europe to help protect a vital international gateway for assistance to Ukraine.
The Australian Defence Force also continues to contribute to multinational efforts to train Ukrainian military personnel under Operation Kudu.
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We couldn’t give the tanks away without the approval of the USA.
We aren’t giving away war stocks.
Hardly leaving ourselves ‘high and dry’.
No different to us ‘gifting’ patrol boats to Fiji, Iroquois to PNG etc.
The government is giving away 49 MBTs to a dictatorship and taking away from the defence capabilities of Australia.
Why should the world run a proxy war with Russia? This is how Vietnam War started.
This isn’t our fight and we need to let the Ukrainian Dictator fight in his own.
He was elected by the people of Ukraine. By quite a large margin.
As for the tanks – they were being retired anyway, the replacements were arriving.
And right there is the lack of forward thinking of our government and the senior officers in the ADF let it happen. Why are we giving away our ‘war stock’ of tanks, heavy guns, ammunition etc to Ukraine and leaving ourselves high and dry?
Even if we sold it off and returned the money made to defence.
Beggars belief.