Reference News Network, December 22 report. According to the website of the U.S. "Military Observation Magazine" on December 19, the Ukrainian army has received the last batch of Western-pledged M1A1 "Abrams" tanks. The Australian government confirmed on the 19th that the final batch of 49 tanks provided by Australia had been delivered. Previously, the United States had delivered 31 M1A1 tanks to Ukraine at the end of 2023, which were deployed in combat from February 2024.

According to sources from the Australian government, the latest batch of tanks delivered is part of Australia's military aid exceeding $1.5 billion to Ukraine. Most of Australia's tanks arrived in Ukraine this July, many of which have been deployed to the front lines, while the final batch was delivered in mid-December. These tanks have been retired from the Australian Army and the Australian tank forces have been re-equipped with more advanced M1A2 tanks.

Different from the "Abrams" tanks previously handed over by the United States, the 49 tanks provided by Australia have been in service for decades, are severely worn, and are expected to significantly reduce their operational readiness and increase maintenance requirements.

An American source familiar with the internal details of the aid warned in an interview that, given this, the Ukrainian army will find these tanks "difficult to maintain."

At the time of the delivery of the final batch of "Abrams" tanks, Ukrainian authorities continued to report that the country's tank battalions suffered serious shortages of armored forces, due both to significant combat losses that could not be replenished and to difficulties in maintaining existing tanks.

Nikolai Saramaha, a Ukrainian armor warfare expert, pointed out that improper use of tanks was an important cause of losses, and sometimes tanks were sent into action just to boost morale.

Saramaha pointed out that the current operational readiness rate of tanks is only one-third. In some cases, even only one-fifth of the army's tanks are considered combat-ready.

Although Western experts had previously predicted that Western tanks entering Ukraine would change the situation and give Kyiv an advantage, the actual performance has been disappointing.

As of early June 2025, the Ukrainian army had lost 87% of the M1A1 "Abrams" tanks provided by the United States, with 27 out of 31 tanks destroyed or captured by the Russians. Although all "Abrams" tanks were temporarily withdrawn from the front lines and their armor protection was upgraded, the loss rate remained high.

Maintenance needs and fuel consumption of the "Abrams" tanks are expected to limit their readiness, especially considering the poor condition of the second-hand tanks delivered by Australia.

Evaluations of the performance of the "Abrams" and other Western tanks on the Ukrainian battlefield have reinforced the consensus among Western and East Asian analysts: the existing design concepts of American and European tanks are outdated.

The U.S. Army responded by abandoning the plan to gradually upgrade the "Abrams" tanks, instead prioritizing funding for a complete redesign under the "Abrams-M1E3" project. This new model has many similarities with China's Type 100 tank. Russia's T-14 project aims to develop a tank with similar next-generation capabilities, but the project has progressed slowly. Meanwhile, South Korea's next-generation K3 tank is expected to also adopt similar design concepts. Improvements include prioritizing mobility, network-centric warfare capabilities, and fuel efficiency, while reducing emphasis on heavy armor protection and heavy main guns.

According to the Russian Lenta.ru website on December 20, a journalist from the U.S. "Military Observation Magazine" pointed out that the Ukrainian army often wastes military equipment obtained from the West. Reports about the extremely low combat effectiveness of Ukrainian mechanized forces are increasing.

Ukrainian senior officials attribute the current situation to "severe personnel casualties and increasingly high maintenance requirements for Western equipment."

Inefficient use of expensive equipment on the battlefield is a key reason for the huge losses on the front lines. For example, most of the "Abrams" tanks were burned on the battlefield.

Russian President Putin recently stated that the Ukrainian army's strategic reserve has suffered heavy losses. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov released data on Ukrainian casualties in 2025, stating that the number of Ukrainian casualties has approached 500,000. Previously reported that the Ukrainian army lost over 76,000 troops in the Kursk direction. (Translated by Zhao Zhipeng)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7586511874070495759/

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