Australian Abrams battle tanks arrive in Ukraine

TOWNSVILLE, Australia — A first tranche of second-hand M1A1 AIM Abrams main battle tanks reached Ukrainian soil last week after being donated by the Australian government.

The U.S.-built tanks, still painted in their AusCam camouflage scheme, had been loaded onto a commercial cargo ship in Geelong, Australia, in early May before beginning the long trek to the war-torn nation of Ukraine.

Accompanied by Australian tank crewmen, the armored behemoths arrived in an unidentified port in Europe, possibly Poland, before being serviced for delivery to Ukraine.

Australia’s Department of Defence then said on July 19, “Ukraine has now taken possession of the majority of these tanks, with delivery of the final tranche to occur in the coming months.”

Australia pledged to give Kyiv 49 Abrams tanks that it recently retired. Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, commented on X that “this powerful gesture of solidarity is more than military support – it’s a lifeline, a message that we’re not alone in our darkest hour.”

Valued at approximately A$245 million – around US$160 million – this gift comprises part of A$1.5 billion in assistance that Australia has promised since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The Abrams were modified for Ukrainian requirements before being shipped, with Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy noting that “these modified M1A1 Abrams tanks will deliver more firepower and more mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

The M1A1 Abrams became available after the Australian Army started receiving batches of new M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks. Canberra ordered 75 of the latest Abrams variant in 2022.

Incidentally, the newer version of the tanks is enjoying a thorough workout in the ongoing Exercise Talisman Sabre, starting in Australia on July 13. One activity, demonstrating interoperability between Australia and the U.S., saw four M1A2 Abrams and an M88A2 recovery vehicle craned aboard an American landing craft.

This activity took place in Townsville on July 19, with the U.S. Army landing craft USAV Paulus Hook moving the armored vehicles south to Gladstone port.

Asked about the importance of Australia rehearsing such amphibious movements, Lt. Eugene Lynch – who is a troop commander from D Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment of the Australian Army – told Defense News: “It’s extremely important. Our focus is on the Indo-Pacific region, and our near region is characterized by archipelagos and the littoral environment. So, it’s absolutely essential to our ability to project force into the region for defense.”

Lynch said the M1A2 SEPv3 represented a significant upgrade over the M1A1, and Australian tankers were therefore “extremely excited” to get their hands on the new kit.

“We know it’s the best,” he enthused.

Asked whether tanks had become less relevant on contemporary battlefields, Lynch immediately alluded to Ukraine. “I think that the production runs in every single tank factory on Earth would disagree. When a tank shows up on the battlefield, it’s the highest-priority target.”

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

澳大利亚汤斯维尔——澳大利亚政府捐赠的第一批二手M1A1 AIM艾布拉姆斯主战坦克上周抵达乌克兰。

这些美国制造的坦克，仍然涂有澳式迷彩涂装，于 5 月初在澳大利亚吉朗装上一艘商用货船，开始了前往饱受战争蹂躏的乌克兰的漫长旅程。

在澳大利亚坦克乘员的陪同下，这些装甲巨兽抵达欧洲一个身份不明的港口（可能是波兰），之后进行维修，准备交付给乌克兰。

澳大利亚国防部随后于 7 月 19 日表示：“乌克兰现已接收了这些坦克的大部分，最后一批坦克将在未来几个月内交付。”

澳大利亚承诺向基辅捐赠49辆近期退役的艾布拉姆斯坦克。乌克兰驻澳大利亚大使瓦西里·米罗什尼琴科在X网站上评论道：“这一强有力的团结姿态不仅仅是军事支持，更是一条生命线，它传递了一个信息：在我们最黑暗的时刻，我们并不孤单。”

这份价值约 2.45 亿澳元（约合 1.6 亿美元）的礼物，是澳大利亚自 2022 年 2 月莫斯科入侵乌克兰以来承诺提供的 15 亿澳元援助的一部分。

这些艾布拉姆斯坦克在交付乌克兰之前根据乌克兰的要求进行了改装，国防工业部长帕特·康罗伊指出，“这些改装后的M1A1艾布拉姆斯坦克将为乌克兰武装部队提供更强大的火力和更高的机动性。”

在澳大利亚陆军开始接收一批批新型M1A2 SEPv3艾布拉姆斯坦克之后，M1A1艾布拉姆斯坦克才开始服役。堪培拉于2022年订购了75辆最新型的艾布拉姆斯坦克。

顺便一提，这些新型号的坦克正在7月13日在澳大利亚开始的“护身军刀”演习中接受全面测试。其中一项活动旨在展示澳大利亚和美国之间的互操作性，活动中，四辆M1A2艾布拉姆斯坦克和一辆M88A2抢修车被吊装到一艘美国登陆艇上。

此次活动于 7 月 19 日在汤斯维尔举行，美国陆军登陆艇 USAV Paulus Hook 将装甲车辆向南运送至格拉德斯通港。

当被问及澳大利亚进行此类两栖作战演练的重要性时，澳大利亚陆军第二骑兵团D中队的一名部队指挥官尤金·林奇中尉告诉《防务新闻》：“这极其重要。我们的重点是印太地区，而我们附近的地区以群岛和沿海环境为特征。因此，这对于我们向该地区投送武力进行防御的能力至关重要。”

林奇表示，M1A2 SEPv3 相较于 M1A1 有了显著的提升，因此澳大利亚的坦克兵们“非常兴奋”能够获得这套新装备。

“我们知道它是最好的，”他热情地说。

当被问及坦克在现代战场上的重要性是否有所降低时，林奇立即提到了乌克兰。“我认为地球上每一家坦克工厂的产量都会反对这种说法。当坦克出现在战场上时，它就是最高优先级的目标。”

戈登·阿瑟是《防务新闻》的亚洲特派记者。在香港工作20年后，他现居新西兰。他曾到访亚太地区约20个国家，参加过军事演习和防务展览。