Australia’s M1A1 Abrams battle tanks for Ukraine are proving to be a poisoned chalice
A Ukrainian soldier on the front lines has grilled outdated military tech as “not sufficient” for the current pressures in the war against Russia.
Australia’s $245 million gift of 49 M1A1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine is proving to be a poisoned chalice. For all involved.
Some of the tanks have already been rushed into combat. They’ve reinforced a Ukrainian unit sent to assist defenders of the besieged city of Pokrovsk in repulsing a determined Russian assault. That bitter battle, which Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes will convince US President Donald Trump that the fight for Ukraine is hopeless, is ongoing.
The usefulness of the M1A1 Abrams, however, is suspect. They are a downmarket version of a 1970s-era design poorly suited to the modern high-tech battlefield. All but two of the 31 similar tanks donated by the US in 2023 have already been destroyed.
Now the White House, keen to secure a quick deal in ceasefire talks between Moscow and Kyiv, is reportedly “unhappy” at the timing of their delivery.
Former US Air Force Security Forces and private military contractor Christian Orr says the Trump Administration believes the Australian gift is “undercutting” President Trump’s negotiations with Putin.
“At the time of the deal, Washington was in the middle of negotiations with Moscow, and senior US officials feared at the time that American-made tanks might undercut the peace talks,” Orr writes.
The first batch of third-hand armoured vehicles was delivered to the embattled eastern European nation in July, after three years of hesitation, negotiation, and debate. All of the remaining M1A1s, which were purchased second-hand by Australia in 2004 from unwanted US stocks, were handed over in the following weeks.
Now, they’re helping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s defenders defy Putin’s advances. The Kremlin wants Kyiv to surrender the entire Donbas region before a ceasefire is considered.
Two months later, the Russian assault is dragging on.
“They do not have the planned result,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters last week. “In my opinion, they do not have such a result that they can ‘sell’ to the Americans. We understand why they need Pokrovsk. (Moscow) only need it to say – ‘look … the idea that Ukraine leaves the east and gives us everything else that we want is the only possible one’.”
Holding the line
“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,” Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, posted to social media.
About 12 of the ex-Australian Abrams tanks have been assigned to Ukraine’s 425th Assault Regiment ‘Skala’ (Rock).
It’s also been dubbed the “Mad Max” unit for adopting Russian-style motorcycle transport for its troops.
The volunteer frontline regiment was reportedly involved in a failed counter-attack last month in the occupied Sumy region. It is now reported to be fighting to secure the last roads and railways supplying Pokrovsk’s defenders.
No details of the activities of the ex-Australian tanks have been confirmed.
But past reports are not favourable.
Ukrainian tank operators have complained of serious problems with their earlier US-supplied M1A1s.
“The tank’s armour is not sufficient for this moment,” a tank crew member, call-sign “Joker”, told CNN earlier this year. “It doesn’t protect the crew. Today, this is the war of drones. So now, when the tank rolls out, they always try to hit them.”
Reported issues include a lack of engine reliability and condensation interfering with delicate electronics.
Australia’s M1A1s have bypassed one problem. They have long since been converted to operate on diesel, not the jet-grade fuel of the US variant. This fuel is both more readily available and less volatile.
But Ukraine’s tankers say the bulk of available ammunition for the Abrams’ gun is not suited to actual warfighting situations.
“What we have is more suited for direct tank-to-tank fights, which happens very rarely,” Joker explained. “More often, we work like artillery. We had a case where we fired 17 rounds into a house, and it was still standing.”
🇷🇺🇺🇦 Another M1A1 Abrams tank was ambushed by an FPV drone in the Sumy region.
— Heyman_101 (@SU_57R) September 17, 2025
It's been a long time since we have seen an Abrams tank get hit. This leads me to believe this is from the new batch Australia sent to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/ryeJIfnGgy
Help, or hindrance?
“Every day we don’t have those tanks on the battlefield, more and more people get killed,” Ambassador Myroshnychenko told Australian media as the delivery was made in July.
Former President Joe Biden approved the transfer of the Australian M1A1 tanks in September of last year, following months of protracted negotiations. Then Canberra had to navigate a diplomatic minefield to ship the 62-tonne tanks to and through Europe.
“It’s worth noting that the July 2025 date signifies a nine-month delay from when the tanks were initially pledged, due to logistic challenges and the need for approval from the US for any third-party transfer of American-made military equipment,” Orr explains.
With the change in US administration has come a shift in attitude towards supplying Ukraine with advanced weapons to defend itself from Russian aggression.
Australia’s gift of 49 of the same model tank was initially seen as a means of using the training and support infrastructure already established by the US in Ukraine. But no longer.
â—ï¸Video of 🇦🇺Australian M1A1 Abrams tanks being delivered to 🇺🇦Ukraine
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) July 19, 2025
Thank you Australia🤠pic.twitter.com/SlKXd6eO0Y
“First and foremost, the Trump Administration’s displeasure with the deal boils down to concerns that the tanks will be more of a liability than an asset,” argues Orr.
The senior defence editor of the National Security Journal says the M1A1s have “taken a mauling”.
“As great as the Abrams has been, it has even been showing weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the current conflict, particularly to drone attacks.”
The Biden Administration announced the delivery of 31 US M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in January 2023. All but two have since been destroyed or rendered inoperable.
Ukraine’s military says 28 of the wrecked Abrams had been hit by drones or artillery in their weak turret-top and engine armour. Only one has been destroyed in a head-to-head clash with a Russian T-72 battle tank.
Most were lost in Ukraine’s offensive to invade Russia’s Kursk region – a failed bid to force President Putin into ceasefire talks.
Fight for survival
Ukraine’s 47th Mechanised Brigade ‘Magura’ was assigned the 31 M1A1s supplied by the US Army. The Australian tanks will help restore its strength.
The leftovers appear to have been assigned to the 425th Assault Regiment.
And Ukraine has been working to overcome the Abrams’ deficiencies.
Australia’s M1A1s were originally equipped with limited armour protection to maintain a weight range that made them more portable by land, sea, and air.
It was also designed for a Cold War concept of warfighting. Here, large armoured formations would race across open fields with attack helicopters, A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft and high-flying interceptors lingering protectively overhead.
But Ukraine’s war is being fought by both sides without conventional air superiority.
Instead, that realm is now the domain of first-person-view attack drones, larger semi-autonomous models, and long-range precision artillery.
Ambassador Myroshnychenko says most of the 120 Bushmaster armoured personnel transports donated by Australia have been destroyed or broken down. But there is one vehicle he is keen to see more of: “There are 1100 (Australian) Hawkeis out there, I’ve been requesting them for three years now, they are very mobile vehicles.”
Being able to dodge and outrun drones is considered a valuable asset.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is adding ERA “bricks” – reactive armour blocks that explode on contact to counteract the force of an incoming projectile – to help overcome the lumbering M1A1’s deficiencies. They’re also having “cope” cage canopies added – light metal and mesh screens invented by desperate Russian tankers in 2022 to prevent drones from making contact with their vehicle’s hull.
Battling for relevance
The US Army has conceded the disappointing performance of its main battle tank in a recent submission to Congress.
“The ubiquitous first-person view (FPV) attack drones, modern antitank guided weapons (ATGW) and guided artillery have all highlighted the Abrams’ vulnerability to strikes from above,” a procurement paper states.
It’s buying aftermarket additions to address armour weak points.
Australia is replacing its M1A1 with another Abrams upgrade. The M1A2 SEPv3 model updates the 1970s era design with new computer and protection systems.
One of these features is supposed to be depleted uranium armour plates.
Russian telegram channels posted videos of fiber optic cable FPV strikes on a Ukrainian Abrams tank in Kursk oblast last week. Aside from a concussion, the crew survived without injury and made it back to friendly lines. @KofmanMichael and I spoke to the commander of the tank… pic.twitter.com/piqapqvVMv
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) December 19, 2024
But that feature failed to impress the Australian Army when it resolved to buy the lighter M1A1 version more than two decades ago. A March 2004 Cabinet submission reportedly stated: “US advice is that there is little difference in the level of protection between DU and non-DU armour. This is protected information”.
Much has changed since 2004.
The slaughter of Russian, US, German and British tank designs on the battlefields of Ukraine proves it.
“Tankers should act promptly,” the Ukrainian commander of a disabled M1A1 Abrams told Foreign Policy Research Institute analyst Rob Lee. “Their tanks are too thin and vulnerable given the current threats on the battlefield. Protect your tanks urgently to avoid losses in potential near-future conflicts, taking into account our experience.”
Originally published as Australia’s M1A1 Abrams battle tanks for Ukraine are proving to be a poisoned chalice
