Key Points – Australia has commenced shipping the first of 49 decommissioned M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, a move confirmed by Prime Minister Albanese to President Zelenskyy during Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass.
-This aid proceeds despite some reported US reservations concerning Ukraine’s previous challenges in maintaining and effectively employing the Abrams, which some attribute to poor tactics deviating from combined arms doctrine rather than inherent tank flaws.
-Ukrainian complaints about the Abrams’ gun performance have been dismissed by figures like retired US Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. Australia’s M1A1s are being replaced domestically by newer M1A2 Abrams tanks from the US.
Australia Is Sending M1 Abrams Tanks To Ukraine
The US has objected to the decision by Australia to provide Ukraine with decommissioned M1 Abrams tanks.
The first of 49 M1 Abrams tanks has been loaded onto cargo ships to be sent to Ukraine, a delivery confirmed by Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese.
The announcement follows an April update in which the shipments had been delayed due to a series of international clearances.
ABC News reported that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese verified the delivery in person to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass in Vatican City.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said that Washington had warned Canberra about the difficulties of transferring Abrams tanks to Ukraine and maintaining this equipment at the front. Ukraine had previously struggled to maintain the Abrams, which led to numerous breakdowns, one of which saw an Abrams tank taken intact back to Moscow.
“Last year, even before Donald Trump returned as president, we warned the Australians that sending these Abrams tanks would be complicated, and once they finally get to the battlefield, the Ukrainians will find them difficult to sustain,” one US official told the ABC, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Australia faced similar issues a year ago when, in 2024, the Albanese government was criticized for not agreeing to a Ukrainian request to donate the Australian retired fleet of advanced Taipan helicopters, which Defence insisted would be too complicated for Ukraine to operate and maintain.
Reports last year indicated that the Ukrainians were pulling the Abrams tanks off the front line due to the risk of easy detection by Russian drones; however, Kyiv later denied this to be true.
The Pentagon, however, told Newsweek it did not comment on discussions between partners and allies.
Tanks Coming Through Poland
The tanks will eventually arrive in Poland, but the exact date is unknown due to security reasons. Then, they will be shipped to Ukraine by rail.
Earlier this year, operations at a key logistics hub in Poland that will eventually receive the Australian Abrams tanks were stalled after President Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine. But the facility has now returned to regular business.
M1A1 Tanks To Be Replaced By Newer M1A2 Abrams
The donation of Australia’s M1A1 tanks will not affect Australia’s defense capabilities. The US is shipping a new batch of M1A2 Abrams tanks to replace those sometime in 2025.
The first such tanks arrived in Australia in late December last year.
In April, a spokesperson for the Defence Department told ABC: “Australia remains on target to meet the delivery of the M1A1 Abrams in 2025, the M1A1 export process remains ongoing.”
The M1A1 Abrams entered the Australian military in the early 2000s to replace the service’s German-made Leopard AS1 main battle tanks, which had been operational since 1977.
Ukraine’s Faulty Tactics Resulted in M1’s Bad Showing:
The first M1 Abrams tanks delivered to Ukraine did not fare well. Not because of any shortcomings of the tank, but in the tactics used. The Ukrainians don’t really understand the way the Americans fight and use their armor.
The Abrams was designed to work within American combined arms doctrine, which dictates close cooperation between mechanized forces, infantry, artillery, and air power. They didn’t operate that way, and Russian anti-tank missiles and drones took an unnecessary toll.
Due to manpower and equipment shortages, Ukrainian Abrams tanks often enter combat alone without support from infantry or other Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs). In these disadvantageous conditions, Abrams tanks are easy pickings for Russian anti-tank crews.
Ukrainians complained about the 120mm main gun of the Abrams, stating that it is not effective against buildings and that the tank is susceptible to drone attacks. Ukrainian tankers claimed they fired 17 rounds into a building without destroying it. That claim is just ridiculous.
US General Says M1 Abrams Main Gun Claim “Is BS”
“That’s BS,” Lieutenant General (Ret.) Mark Hertling said to CNN last summer. “I know for a fact, having fired these vehicles and having been a tanker all my life, that this is a crew that is not either selecting the right weapon system or isn’t maintaining their tanks very well.”
Time will tell if the Australian donation of M1A1 tanks fares any better than the original donation made by Washington.
About the Author:
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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