This past Saturday, July 19, the Australian government confirmed through an official statement that it is moving forward with the transfer of U.S.-made M1A1 Abrams tanks pledged to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, thus responding to a request from its counterpart in Kyiv to bolster its armored capabilities. Specifically, this concerns the first batch of the 49 units pledged by Canberra as part of the military assistance provided to Ukraine following the start of the Russian invasion in 2022—units that will be replaced by the more modern M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks.
Although the exact number of tanks shipped has not been officially disclosed, it has been stated that Ukraine already has access to most of the promised armored vehicles, with the final delivery to complete the package expected in the near future. It is worth noting that the total value of this assistance amounts to 245 million dollars, forming part of the over 1.5 billion dollars Australia has allocated to military support since the beginning of the war.
Citing official remarks from Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles: “The M1A1 Abrams tanks will make a significant contribution to Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion (…) Australia remains steadfast in our support for Ukraine and seeing a just and lasting peace.” Meanwhile, the Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, stated: “These modified M1A1 Abrams tanks will deliver more firepower and more mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Force. They meet a direct request from the Ukrainian Government and form part of Australia’s unwavering commitment to protect the global rules-based order.”
It is useful to mention that the deliveries had experienced significant delays compared to the timeline originally announced by the Australian government, as we reported in late April. At the time, several local reports pointed to resistance from the U.S. in allowing the transfer to move forward, considering that Washington had decided to suspend (and shortly thereafter resume) its aid to Kyiv, amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to a close as soon as possible.
Lastly, with regard to the continuation of Australian support for Ukraine’s war effort, it is worth noting that the country is actively participating in Operation Kudu, in which forces from various allied nations are training Ukrainian troops to accelerate their deployment to the front lines. It has also been officially confirmed that in August, a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft will be deployed to Europe to assist in monitoring key routes used to deliver committed equipment to Kyiv.
*Image credits: Australian Department of Defence
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