How Ukraine Turned Australian Abrams Tanks Into Battlefield Beasts—Now Fighting Near Pokrovsk

Ukrainian M1A1 Abrams tanks supplied by Australia have received extensive anti-drone upgrades and have already seen combat near Pokrovsk, according to the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skala,” the unit operating the vehicles on December 23.

The footage shows the Abrams tanks fitted with additional passive armor and explosive reactive armor blocks mounted on the turret, upper frontal plate, and hull sides. The reactive protection consists of Kontakt-1 modules—an older but still effective system widely used to counter shaped-charge threats.

To address the growing danger posed by FPV drones, Ukrainian crews also installed an improvised anti-drone “hood” made from fishing nets.

Such netting is intended to disrupt or prematurely detonate FPV drones before they strike critical armor surfaces, a tactic increasingly seen across Ukraine’s armored fleet.

The video additionally reveals a localized control interface inside the Abrams, with panels adapted into Ukrainian.

The modification is designed to reduce training time for Ukrainian tank crews, many of whom do not speak English, and to speed up battlefield integration of the Western-made vehicle.

According to the regiment, the upgraded Abrams tanks have already been used in combat, including during operations covering the withdrawal of Ukrainian assault groups in the city of Pokrovsk, one of the most contested sectors on the eastern front.

Australia recently completed the transfer of its M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine as part of military assistance. The armored vehicles, accompanied by five Australian Defense Force personnel, were shipped to Europe aboard a commercial cargo vessel in October.

The final batch of 12 tanks was delivered over the past two weeks, following the arrival of the first 37 Australian Abrams in Ukraine earlier this summer.

In total, Australia transferred 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks that had served with the Australian Army between 2007 and 2024 across two armored regiments.

Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi reported that the tank transfer was part of a broader Australian military aid package valued at approximately $245 million.

As part of its own Abrams modernization to the SA configuration, Australia previously ordered additional protection kits using M19 explosive reactive armor blocks.

It remains unclear whether those specific kits were included in the tanks delivered to Ukraine, according to Militarnyi.

Earlier, reports emerged that the United States was advancing its modernization of the M1 Abrams tanks, implementing key upgrades informed by lessons from their deployment in Ukraine. The upgrades focus on improving survivability, mobility, and efficiency in response to modern battlefield challenges.

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