The US-made and supplied Abrams tanks will be sent from Australia to Ukraine as part of a $245 million military support package to aid in the country’s fight against Russia’s invasion. ABC News reports that over a year after Kyiv first expressed interest in the aging M1A1 fleet, Australia has now confirmed it will donate 49 units of heavy battlefield armour. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, currently attending a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels, will personally brief his Ukrainian counterpart about the latest support package.
Australia’s transfer of its aging Abrams to a “third country” has required permission from the United States under its International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), despite Washington last year sending 31 of its own M1A1 tanks to Ukraine. The Australian government has previously donated 28 of its venerable M113 armoured personnel carriers, a bulkier mini-tank design dating back to the Vietnam era, as well as six M777 towed howitzers and thirty Australian-designed and built Bushmaster armoured vehicles. The latest announcement brings the total value of Australia’s military assistance to Ukraine since the start of the war to more than $1.3 billion, while overall government support now tops $1.5 billion.