Ukraine Receives New Batch of Australian M1 Abrams Tanks
Ukraine’s Western allies have promised to deliver more than 800 armored vehicles to Kyiv since the war began.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine carries on, more and more allies of Kyiv are supplying its forces with additional defenses. Australia’s Defense Ministry recently confirmed that its first batch of M1 Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) promised to be delivered to Ukraine is underway. Canberra donated the fleet of American-made armored vehicles earlier this year. According to Canberra’s Department of Defense, “Ukraine has now taken possession of the majority of these tanks, with delivery of the final tranche to occur in the coming months.” Initially, Australia pledged to donate 49 Abrams tanks to aid Ukraine’s defensive efforts against Russia. Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the arrival of these MBTs indicates a “powerful gesture of solidarity.”
While Australia’s Abrams MBTs are the latest to hit Kyiv’s frontlines, the United States and other NATO allies have already provided or have pledged to deliver in the future additional tanks. In fact, Western allies of Ukraine have overall promised to deliver more than 800 armored vehicles to Kyiv since the war began back in February 2022. The United Kingdom was the first nation to donate MBTs to Ukraine, committing 14 Challenger II tanks back in 2023. Other nations have pledged or already delivered Leopard II MBTs to Kyiv as well, including Germany, Poland, Finland, Spain, and Portugal.
Introducing the Abrams Family of Tanks
Arguably one of the most successful tank series to ever serve, the third-generation Abrams MBT is widely respected. Designed by Chrysler Defense (currently General Dynamics Land Systems), the Abrams platform dates back to the early days of the Cold War. The US Army collaborated with West Germany in the 1960s to field a joint tank series. While the resulting MBT-70 program never came to fruition, the US Army reallocated funds from the tank to develop a whole new series.
Prioritizing survivability first and foremost, the M1 Abrams was designed with an impressive then-new armor. Chobham is an incredibly thick material, specifically able to perform well against HEAT rounds and other shaped charges. The Abrams MBT was fitted with roughly two feet of Chobham armor, which certainly gave the platform an edge over its predecessors. Comparably, the M60 MBT only featured around four inches of armor. In addition to Chobham, the tank was fitted with a 1,500-horsepower turbine engine and the license-built M68A1 version of the 105mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun. Subsequent Abrams variants have emerged over the years, all sporting the latest technologies. The M1A2 series was approved for production by 1990 and equipped with enhancements such as the Inter-Vehicle Information System. Years later, the M1A2 SEPv2 tanks entered service with the Army, followed by the SEPv3 iteration.
Since the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has proved the role MBTs continue to play in modern warfare, the continued upgrades to the Abrams tank series make sense. Kyiv is unlikely to receive the newest Abrams MBT variants; however, the M1 series certainly outmatches its Soviet and Cold War-era counterparts fielded by Russia.
About the author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
Image: DVIDS.
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