Due to delays and shifting war dynamics, Australia’s pledged M1A1 tanks remain undelivered to Ukraine, even if they were there, doubts have circulated about their utility in a drone-dominated battlefield.
The forty-nine American-made M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) that Australia pledged to send to Ukraine are no closer to heading into action than they were in March, when it was reported that Canberra was waiting for approval from Washington due to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) agreement.
The Australian government had notified the Biden Administration in September 2024, and efforts began to prepare the tanks for transfer.
The MBTs would languish in Poland, as the tanks required maintenance before being delivered to Kyiv. The U.S. has significantly reduced its presence in Eastern Europe, which has, in turn, slowed the delivery.
However, new reports say the tanks haven’t even departed Australia.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) explained that the issue is due to complications with the transfer of the American vehicles. In February, after the Oval Showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Donald Trump temporarily froze military assistance to Ukraine.
The former administration never approved the final permission, and neither has the new one. As a result, the tanks remain in limbo.
The White House has been actively trying to get Kyiv and Moscow to the peace table, and it is unlikely the U.S. will sign off on the transfer as a ceasefire is pending. At the same time, the M1A1s provided to Ukraine haven’t fared as well as expected. The tanks proved difficult to maintain and more vulnerable to drone attacks than Western analysts could have predicted.
“We are starting to doubt if the Ukrainians want these vehicles, the tank roof is the weakest point of the Abrams, and this is a drone war,” an Australian defense official told ABC on the condition of anonymity.
“There is also the concern that with a possible peace deal looming, it would be embarrassing to have the tanks on board ships in the middle of the ocean, and there is also a lack of ranked personnel who are necessary to babysit the assets at sea,” the official added.
Canberra has vowed to honor the agreement to send the tanks and will do so as soon as possible.
“Australia remains on target to meet the delivery of the M1A1 Abrams in 2025, the M1A1 export process remains ongoing,” a ministry spokesperson told the ABC in a statement.
“Defense continues to work with the Ukrainian government in line with agreed arrangements for the gifting, including on delivery and sustainment.”
Has Ukraine Lost Faith in the M1 Abrams?
The Ukrainian military has disputed claims that it had pulled the M1 MBTs from the frontlines.
“The tanks are doing a great job on the battlefield, and we are not going to hide from the enemy what makes them hide,” a frontline commander told The Kyiv Independent.
Yet, as David Axe, writing for Trench Art, explained, “The tiny explosive drones that are everywhere all the time along the 700-mile front line of Russia’s thirty-nine-month-long wider war on Ukraine haven’t rendered tanks obsolete. But they have forced tank crews to operate extremely carefully, hiding most of the time in barns, garages, or dugouts and rolling out only occasionally to fire a few shells before scurrying back under cover.”
In other words, an additional four dozen M1A1 Abrams won’t decide Ukraine’s future. MBTs may have a place on the battlefield, but their significance is far less than it was two years ago.
Washington Halts the M1 Abrams Transfer, But Pressures Greece to Send Patriot Missiles
The Trump administration’s holdup of the M1A1 Abrams is all the more cause it has also called upon allies and partners to aid Kyiv with additional MIM-104 Patriot air-defense batteries.
The U.S. has pressured NATO member Greece to provide Ukraine with one of its air defense systems, which had been deployed to Saudi Arabia to help protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The Greek Kathimerini newspaper reported that Washington requested that Athens send the Patriot battery to aid Kyiv and called for the Hellenic Navy to commit a frigate to join operations to counter the Houthi militant forces.
Athens had previously supplied Kyiv with Russian-made BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles that the Hellenic military purchased after the end of the Cold War, assault rifles and other small arms, ordnance for the weapons, and humanitarian aid and medical supplies.
It is unclear why Washington would support and even press for the sending of defensive systems but withhold the transfer of the tanks to Ukraine. The only reason is that the White House wants the Ukrainian government to be able to defend its cities from Russian missile and drone strikes, yet it doesn’t want Kyiv to be able to mount any counterattacks into Russian territory as it did last August.
The invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast was the first major incursion into Russia since the end of the Second World War.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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