“The Australian Defense Force (ADF) has fulfilled its landmark commitment to supply Ukraine with 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks, reinforcing Ukraine's long-standing support in its ongoing resistance to Russia's illegal and immoral invasion,” the statement said.
The Australian Ministry of Defense noted that the tanks transferred to Ukraine are valued at $245 million and this is “a direct request from Kyiv and is included in the total amount of Australian assistance, which exceeds $1.7 billion since the beginning of the conflict.”
“Most of the tanks arrived in Ukraine in July, and many of them were already deployed on the front line. The last batch was transferred just a few days ago, fully ready for battle,” the release states.
Colonel James Smith, who was in charge of transferring the tanks to Ukraine, called their delivery to Europe a “massive logistics undertaking.”
“It's a huge task to ship a 60-ton tank halfway around the world and make sure that when we hand it over to our Ukrainian friends it will be ready for use,” he said.
The tanks were delivered to Europe on a cargo ship, which was on the road for 55 days, writes the Australian Ministry of Defense.
Context
Australia decommissioned 59 M1A1 Abrams tanks, purchased in 2007 but never used in combat, they are being replaced by new M1A2 Abrams models with a 120 mm cannon.
On May 19, 2025, ABC News reported, citing its own sources, that Australia began transmitting to Ukraine decommissioned Abrams, despite dissatisfaction from the United States. It was noted that before shipment, Canberra received permission from Washington to export American-made tanks to a third country.
