The support package, including the tanks, is estimated to be worth AUD 245 million. It aims to bolster the firepower and mobility of Ukrainian armoured brigades.
Australia has operated the M1A1 AIM variant of the Abrams since 2007, a model similar to the M1A1SA tanks already in Ukraine’s arsenal. Of the 59 M1A1 tanks currently in service, Australia plans to keep 10 until its new M1A2 SEPv3 tanks, purchased from the United States in 2022, are fully integrated. Deliveries of these upgraded models have already begun.
The delivery of Australian tanks will help Ukraine compensate for significant losses it has sustained in the war. Out of the 31 M1A1SA tanks previously provided by the US, Ukraine has documented the loss of 16.
These losses are largely attributed to the Ukrainian military’s tactics, which have left tanks vulnerable to fire from a range of weapon systems.
