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Former Australian Army M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks have reportedly arrived in Poland as they make their way to the front lines of Ukraine.
The first evidence of the Abrams main battle tanks’ arrival has been a photo published to social media on X (Twitter) by Polish defence blogger Krzysztof Sowa (translated) on 28 June.
The M1A1 Abrams tanks have previously been an important capability for the Australian Army, providing substantial defence against enemy fire and improvised explosive devices.
The Australian government had announced the gifting of 49 to Ukraine as part of a military assistance package worth around $245 million in 17 October last year.
“We will continue to support Ukraine, as we’ve said. And we stand with Ukraine so that this can be, this conflict can be resolved on Ukraine’s terms,” the Deputy Prime Minister said during an ABC radio interview in March this year.
“In terms of the Abrams tanks, that’s a commitment that we’ve made and we have established a timeline with the Ukrainian government about the delivery of those tanks to Ukraine … For operational reasons (we) won’t go into the detail of that timeline.
“They’ll definitely arrive in a timely fashion and they’ll arrive in a time frame that we’ve agreed with Ukraine and that’s exactly how we have managed the delivery of other equipment to Ukraine.
“This has been agreed with Ukraine and they’re very grateful for the contribution.”
As was announced in January 2022, the Australian Army M1A1 Abrams are to be replaced by the M1A2 fleet. To support the transition, the Australian Army will retain a small number of M1A1 Abrams tanks to assist the introduction of the new M1A2 fleet.
“These tanks will deliver more firepower and mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and complement the support provided by our partners for Ukraine,” Australian Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said.
“As we face a challenging geostrategic environment, it is important that we continue to work together with our partners around the world to deter aggression and coercion and protect the global rules-based order.”
