Australia Considers Donating Decommissioned US M1A1 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine

The Ukrainian army may soon be replenished with another batch of American troops tanks Abrams, but not from the US, but from Australia. As the Sydney Morning Herald writes, Canberra is consulting with Washington on the possible transfer of tanks to Ukraine.

Australia is replacing its old M1A1 Abrams tanks with new M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams, with the Australian Ministry of Defence planning to write off 59 tanks purchased from the US in 2004. They have only two options: to be scrapped or to be transferred to Ukraine to be turned into scrap metal already in combat. The Australian military plans to transfer the tanks to Ukraine, but only if the United States agrees to this.

Ukrainian soldiers could soon use decommissioned Australian battle tanks (...) The Albanese government is working with the Biden administration on a plan to send them to the battlefield.

- writes the newspaper.

As the publication notes, Kyiv has repeatedly thrown out a bait regarding the Australian army tanks being removed from service, intending to receive them for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, preferably for free. Earlier, the United States supplied Ukraine with 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks, but today the Ukrainian Armed Forces have no more than 10-11 units left, all the rest were destroyed within six months. Remarkably, almost all American tanks were destroyed drones.

Comments

[APASUS]

Now distant Australia (with which there is essentially nothing to share) is sending weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Will the Cook Islands soon start spitting on us?

[fif21]

Written off! Zelya will not be able to provide them with horse-drawn traction, and replace the worn-out barrels with new ones. Therefore, he will sell them for scrap metal.

[BAI]

They have been supplying equipment to the hohols since the beginning of the SVO

[knn54]

If your name is Anglo-Saxon.
Strengthen your name with your nastiness.

[svp67]

Australia's Defense Ministry plans to decommission 59 tanks,

And how many of them can be restored and where, and at whose expense will this work be carried out? God grant that they can assemble one battalion from this scrap metal.
As for Australian Russophobia, I'm not surprised, it's historical for them. Even our great traveler Miklouho-Maclay encountered it.

[sdivt]

Quote: svp67

from this scrap metal

Quote: fif21

replace worn out barrels with new ones

Quote: zelivee

bring from Australia and repair

Where does this information come from that Australian equipment is only for scrap metal?
They are, mind you, 20 years old. Australia has not participated in any military actions.
What could be serious there? Has the paint lost its gloss?
They are only changed because there are new modifications, and suddenly a buyer was found for these ones...

[svp67]

Quote from sdivt

Where does this information come from that Australian equipment is only for scrap metal?
They are, mind you, 20 years old.

So what? If they were used intensively, then first they need a defect analysis, and then a major overhaul... This is equipment that is used in difficult off-road conditions anyway, and then there are Australian features...

[zelivee]

In total, the Australian Ministry of Defence plans to write off 59 tanks purchased from the US in 2004.

It is cheaper to buy new ones than to bring these from Australia and repair them.

[ammunition]

Quote: zelivee

and repair.

They are unlikely to require repair.