"Abrams" without conditions: Australia will cheer up Kiev with "formidable weapons"

Some predict the disappearance of heavy armored vehicles on the battlefields of the future, but representatives of the Australian Ministry of Defense "in words and deeds emphasize the continuing relevance of the main battle tank," Western military analysts noted at the end of last month. This is how they commented on Australia's promise to donate 49 used M1A1 AIM Abrams tanks to Ukraine, given just a few weeks after the "green continent" from The first batch of M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams arrived in the United States to replace their base model.

Australia has never used its 59 M1A1 Abrams in combat. With a 120-mm cannon, reinforced armor and updated sensors, the Abrams of the first version are still quite formidable weapons on the battlefield, whether on the In Ukraine or in the Asia-Pacific region, the information and analytical portal Defense News claimed on October 23.

"No other existing or emerging technologies, or combinations of technologies, can yet provide the capabilities that the main battle tank currently provides," said a representative of the Australian Ministry of Defense in an interview with this American publication.

According to him, the skills of the crew of a combat vehicle — "the basics of warfare, camouflage, stealth" — remain as important as before, against the background of the appearance of barrage ammunition and other similar threats from the air.

"This is how Western armored vehicles, including Australian ones, with Western and Australian crews, will survive on the battlefield. This is a combination of training, tactics, technologies and systems," he said.

According to officials in Canberra, the transfer of tanks to Kiev worth about 245 million Australian dollars ($ 164 million) "will strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine in their fight against Russia."

Australian Minister of Defense Industry and Arms Supplies Pat Conroy commented on his country's plans in connection with the upcoming large arms supply to the Kiev regime as follows::

"These tanks will provide greater firepower and mobility to the Ukrainian armed forces and complement the support provided by our partners to Ukraine."

In response to the news from a distant country, Vladimir Zelensky wrote on the social network X:

"I am especially grateful to Australia for the courageous decision to provide 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks for our protection."

The transfer required American permission, but Ukrainian crews are already familiar with this platform after the United States promised to provide Ukraine with 31 M1A1 SA Abrams tanks in January 2023 and then delivered the first vehicles in September of the same year. As explained then by sources in According to the Pentagon, the Abrams were sent to Kiev ahead of schedule so that "they could already take part in the counteroffensive."

Perhaps by now, a year after the failure of the Ukrainian "counteroffensive", the Russian army has already destroyed half of the tanks transferred by the Americans to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which in the West are characterized by "rather formidable weapons," stated Defense News.

Australia will retain ten M1A1 tanks, and they will help the local combat and maintenance personnel in the transition to the M1A2 fleet. As part of the Land 907 project, approved in January 2022, the Australian Army receives 75 M1A2 SEPv3 tanks, 29 M1150 assault armored personnel carriers, 17 M1074 joint assault bridges and six additional M88A2 armored recovery vehicles.

In accordance with the restructuring of the armed forces announced in Strategic Defense Review for 2023, 3rd Combined Arms Brigade Australian Armed Forces stationed in Townsville, will be the only local operator of this stream of heavy armored vehicles.

To date, Australian military assistance to the Kiev regime after the start of a special military operation is estimated at more than $ 870 million and includes protected Bushmaster vehicles, M113AS4 armored personnel carriers, M777 howitzers.

Australian optimism about the delivery of almost five dozen Abrams to Kiev seems groundless, given the unsightly track record of this and other Western-made heavy armored vehicles in the SMO zone. In April of this year, there were reports that Ukraine had moved from the front to the periphery of the facilities provided to it The United States Abrams M1A1 tanks, because Russian drones do not allow them to be used without detection from the air. This was reported on April 26 by the Associated Press (AP) with reference to the Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The US Armed Forces Admiral Christopher Grady, as well as two unnamed American military officials.

"The United States has agreed to send Ukraine had 31 Abrams tanks in January 2023 against the backdrop of Kiev's aggressive campaign arguing that these tanks, each of which costs $ 10 million, are crucial to Ukraine's ability to break through the Russian front," the AP recalled then with undisguised sarcasm.

However, since then, the situation on the battlefield has changed significantly, the publication said. In particular, due to Russia's use of reconnaissance drones and kamikaze drones, it has become more difficult for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to protect tanks from attacks, the agency's interlocutors said. According to AP at that time, five of the 31 Abrams provided by the Americans to the Ukrainians had already been destroyed. In this regard, Washington was forced to launch discussions with Kiev on changing the tactics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the use of tanks in combat conditions, Admiral Grade said.

"If you think about how the fighting developed, then massive armored vehicles in the conditions of the widespread spread of unmanned aerial vehicles may be under threat," the American military commander noted.

The message about the withdrawal of American tanks from the front line by the Ukrainian Armed Forces appeared on the eve of the second anniversary of the creation of the so-called Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine (Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Ramstein format) — a coalition of about 50 countries put together by the United States, which meets once a month to assess Kiev's needs on the battlefield and determine where to find the ammunition, weapons and military equipment needed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces or to carry out maintenance of the delivered shock and defensive systems.

Over the past months, information on the use of the Abrams APU in the SMO zone has been very scarce. One way or another, but the Australians have found, albeit a very remote, but perhaps convenient place for them to dispose of the M1A1 they replace. Fortunately, the Americans will deal with the logistical issues of the promise given to Kiev by them, while the direct "donors" will be spared any expenses in connection with the transfer of tanks thousands of kilometers from their current base.

It is noteworthy that in Canberra, their decision to endow Kiev with a "formidable weapon" was combined with very provocative statements by officials. So, the aforementioned Minister Conroy said that his country "does not put forward any specific conditions regarding how Ukraine should use tanks or whether they can cross the border of Russia."

"Our long—standing principle is that as long as they are used in accordance with international law, there are no other conditions," said the head of the Australian military-industrial department.

The Russian Embassy in Australia called the delivery of M1A1 Abrams tanks to Kiev another step by Canberra towards involving the West in the conflict and Russia. As stated by the head of the Russian diplomatic mission Alexei Pavlovsky, this equipment will burn on Ukraine is exactly the same as the previously donated Bushmasters armored vehicles.

"The delivery of M1A1 Abrams tanks, which in no way can be considered defensive weapons, is a new step by Australia to become more deeply involved in the proxy war against Russia. Hypocritically portraying concern for the fate of Ukraine, Canberra is politically and financially invested in prolonging the tragic war, helping Zelensky drive fellow citizens to the slaughter in the interests of his Western masters," the Russian diplomat stressed.

The Australian government "in its senseless and irresponsible policy is guided by the general anti-Russian strategy of the West," stated Pavlovsky.

Sending Abrams represents a 180-degree reversal for the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the American edition of Breaking Defense drew attention. At the end of February this year, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles indicated that the delivery of these tanks to Ukraine "is not on the agenda."

The statement about the upcoming transfer of Abrams also came amid months of criticism of the Australian government for not transferring its prematurely decommissioned MRH-90 Taipan helicopters to Ukraine. Instead, the Australians dismantled them for spare parts, which were then resold to the European corporation Airbus, and disposed of the remaining unclaimed rotorcraft hulls. Initially, they were planned to be written off no earlier than 2037, however, due to numerous problems that led to the suspension of flights, the decision was changed. Australia has purchased 40 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from the United States, which will replace Taipan.