Can Australia’s Worn Out Old Abrams Tanks Help Ukraine? Maintenance and Survivability Deficiencies Expected

<p >Following confirmation that the first of 49 former Australian Army M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks had been loaded for shipment to Ukraine, growing questions have been raised regarding the vehicles’ utility for the Ukrainian Army. Plans to deliver the retired tanks were <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukrainian-losses-brams-australia-49" >first announced</a> by Canberra in October 2024, with a <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-blocking-australia-abrams-ukraine" >lack of authorisation</a> to transfer the American made vehicles to Ukraine have reportedly subsequently delayed deliveries. As the tanks are expected to enter service in the Ukrainian Army sometime in the year’s third quarter, their utility for frontline combat operations has come under growing scrutiny. Speaking to ABC News, one informed American source with inside knowledge of the aid deal warned that the Ukrainian Army would find the vehicles “difficult to sustain.” Unlike newly built Abrams tanks previously transferred by the United States, those send from Australia have already seen decades of service and are considered throughly worn out. The state of the tanks was a primary factor leading the Australian Army to retire them, replacing them with newly built M1A2 Abrams tanks that will have much lower maintenance requirements. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/20/article_682bcc786eae72_78332693.jpeg" title="Ukrainian Army M1A1 Abrams Tank"></p><p >The Abrams is among the most maintenance intensive tank classes in the world, as not only is it the world’s heaviest in most configurations, but it is also one of just two alongside the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-resumed-production-turbine-t80" target="_blank">Russian T-80</a> which uses a gas-turbine engine. Such engines require significantly more work to sustain, and consume fuel and much higher rates. Ukrainian personnel operating new M1A1 tanks previously made complaints regarding the vulnerability of their electronic components to condensation, among other issues. Aside from maintenance issues, the Abrams’ survivability in the Ukrainian theatre has been increasingly called to question, with one unnamed defence official speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation having stated that on the basis of this issue: “We are starting to doubt if the Ukrainians actually want these vehicles — the tank roof is the weakest point of the Abrams and this is a drone war.” </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/20/article_682bcbc7b7aa31_01150613.webp" title="Ukrainian Army M1A1 Abrams Tank Destroyed Near Avdiivka"></p><p >Abrams tanks were <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/new-footage-shows-ukraine-s-u-s-supplied-abrams-tanks-in-first-combat-images-indicate-possible-combat-loss" >first seen</a> deployed on the frontlines on February 23, with the first loss <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/footage-destruction-abrams-ukraine" >confirmed</a> three days afterwards, followed by a period of intensive losses from late February to mid-April. The vehicles were temporarily <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukrainian-army-withdraws-abrams-losses" >withdrawn</a> from the frontlines in April, and continued to take losses after a high rate when subsequently redeployed. Most kills filmed were achieved <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russian-army-takes-out-another-ukrainian-abrams-tank-with-guided-artillery-shot" >by guided artillery</a> or <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/footage-taking-out-abrams-ukraine" >by single use ‘kamikaze’ drones</a>, although one of the tanks was confirmed to have been <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russian-t72b3-abrams-ukraine" >achieved by a Russian T-72B3</a> tank after the two exchanged fire near Avdiivka. The loss of the large majority of the 31 U.S.-supplied tanks previously raised the possibility that the Ukrainian Army could cease to field the vehicles entirely if new deliveries were not made. With the Abrams being far less widely operated in the Western world than the rival German Leopard 2, which has been delivered by countries across NATO, the number of countries able to supply the vehicles remains limited. Australia is the only operator in the Western world with a large supply of export-configured vehicles in reserve. </p>