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Australia-Delivered Abrams Tanks Join Ukraine’s Fight, Assigned to 425th Assault Regiment
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
A tank unit of Ukraine’s 425th Assault Regiment “Skala” has been equipped with American-made M1 Abrams, becoming the second formation in the Armed Forces of Ukraine to field the advanced main battle tanks, according to an announcement published on the regiment’s official page on August 28.
The unit confirmed the reinforcement with Abrams by releasing a statement accompanied by images of tanks from the 47th Mechanized Brigade “Magura,” which until now had been the only operator of the Abrams in Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian defense media outlet Militarnyi, the 425th Regiment is believed to have received Australian-supplied M1A1 Abrams, the first batch of which arrived in Ukraine in late July. Canberra pledged to deliver a full tank battalion consisting of 49 vehicles.
Australia’s Abrams differ slightly from the baseline American variant. They were upgraded to the M1A1 AIM SA standard and include several modifications tailored to Australian requirements. These tanks feature an updated armor package without depleted uranium.
M1 Abrams on duty in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/hoHAR5aUTD
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) October 11, 2024
AIM SA electronics suite with a digital fire control system, modernized thermal imaging sights and improved communications, and a satellite navigation system.
One of the most significant changes is the reconfigured gas turbine engine, adapted to run on diesel fuel rather than JP-8 aviation kerosene, which is standard in the US Army. This modification simplifies logistics for Ukraine’s military, whose armored fleet already operates on diesel.
In all other respects, the Australian Abrams are identical to those already in Ukrainian service. Once in theater, the tanks may also be upgraded with anti-drone cages, electronic warfare protection, and additional explosive reactive armor—adaptations Ukraine has already applied to other armored vehicles.
The 425th Regiment’s tank unit was only formed earlier this year and had previously been equipped with modernized Leopard 1A5 tanks.
Earlier, a 22-year-old US Army soldier stationed at Fort Bliss was arrested for attempting to pass sensitive military information to Russian intelligence in exchange for citizenship.
Taylor Adam Lee is accused of collecting classified materials and stealing equipment from US military vehicles, including the M1A2 Abrams tank.
