Tanks for the fight to save a democracy: Australia answers Kyiv’s firepower plea

Australia will donate 49 of the army’s M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in the nation’s most significant and lethal contribution to the country’s war against Russia.

An Australian Army M1A1 Abrams tank. Picture: ADF

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Australia will donate 49 of the army’s M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in the nation’s most significant and lethal contribution to the country’s war against Russia, amid warnings that Vladimir Putin is bolstering his forces with North Korean troops in a dangerous new development for Kyiv.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy will formally pledge the US-made tanks to Ukraine at a NATO meeting in Brussels this week, following a year-long ­campaign by Kyiv to secure the weapons.

It is one of the largest single contributions of Western tanks to Ukraine since the war began, exceeding the US’s own donation of 31 M1A1s.

The Australian tanks were due to be retired from next year and replaced with next-generation M1A2s, but are said to be in good condition and are said to be far superior to those operated by Russia.

The contribution takes Australia’s support for Ukraine to $1.5bn, and follows an outcry over the government’s decision last year to scrap 45 MRH-90 Taipan helicopters rather than offer them to Kyiv for the war effort.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said: “Australia’s support for Ukraine has not wavered since Russia’s illegal invasion, and Australia will continue standing with Ukraine.”

Some of the tanks will need to undergo repairs and upgrades before they are gifted to Ukraine, but could be delivered sooner at Kyiv’s request, allowing those in poorer condition to be used to provide spare parts for American-­donated M1A1s.

An Australian army M1A1 Abrams main battle tank fires a round at a target during Exercise Chong Ju, a live-fire demonstration at the Puckapunyal Military Base in Victoria. Picture: AFP

The government says the surplus tanks are worth $245m, but military experts believe they will make a far greater impact than the figure suggests, giving the Ukrainians an offensive edge against dug-in Russian troops.

Speaking in London before heading to the NATO defence minister’s meeting, Mr Conroy declined to say whether Australian personnel would be required on the ground in Ukraine to maintain the tanks.

He said the weapons would “deliver more firepower and mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and complement the support provided by our partners for Ukraine”.

“This is a good day for Ukraine and frankly a bad day for Vladimir Putin,” Mr Conroy said.

The donation follows the delivery of an initial 27 of 75 new M1A2 tanks to be operated by the army under a $3.5bn procurement initiated by the Morrison government.

The army will retain 10 of the older-model tanks for training purposes.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, welcomed the announcement, saying his country was in dire need of Western weapons as Putin ramped up his alliance with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

“We are very grateful for the support, especially now in the light of the deployment of troops from North Korea,” he said.

Abrams sneak through bush land

“So we see, this is now becoming much more relevant to the Indo-Pacific, and therefore it’s a very strong response from the Australian government.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Sunday that Pyongyang had escalated its support for Moscow beyond supplying weapons, and was now “ transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces”.

Ukrainian media has reported 10,000 North Korean soldiers are already in Russia.

The figure could not be independently verified, but South Korea’s national intelligence agency said it was “highly likely that the reported casualties of North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine are true”.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie backed the government’s decision, saying it should have come earlier.

“Better late than never, although these could have been used during the summer fighting months just past,” he said.

“The Ukrainian ambassador has been pleading with Labor to gift Australia’s retiring M1A1 Abrams tanks. The Coalition has supported ambassador Myroshnychenko’s calls, and we’re pleased the Albanese government has come to the table.”

A Coalition-dominated Senate inquiry recommended last month that the tanks be provided to Ukraine, along with the army’s soon-to-be retired Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters, Hawkei protected vehicles, and more Bushmaster trucks.

Ukraine’s international partners have provided 819 tanks to support the country’s fight against Russia, including more than 270 Western-made models.

Anthony Albanese with Ukrainian President Zelensky in Kyiv in July 2022. Picture: X

Retired major general Mick Ryan, a senior fellow with the Lowy Institute, said the Australian tanks would make a major contribution to Ukraine’s war ­effort. “There’s nothing more lethal in close combat than a main battle tank. And M1A1s are very good main battle tanks,” he said.

“The Ukrainians already have them. There’s a support base for them in Europe, the Poles are buying them, and lots of other countries use them.

“And this is a battalion’s worth of tanks. Which is significant. The government has clearly listened to those experts who have been recommending this for some time.

On board the Abrams tank

“I think whilst it’s taken time to get to the right decision, it is the right decision and we should applaud this decision.”

Former land forces commander Fergus McLachlan said Ukraine needed as many Western tanks and advanced weapons as possible. “Tanks are about seizing and holding ground. So rather than just stopping them losing, we are providing them with something that will potentially help them to advance.”