Australia's M-1 tanks are... a downgrade compared to what it had

(Back in the day when the ADF had a lot more tanks that were
better, and it could afford to own and operate.)


Australia's armour force of tanks is a joke.

They are first of all, the wrong kind of tank (The M-1).

Worse, the tanks that the M-1 replaced, the Leopard 1, had more overall combat value (Canadian comparison but close enough). They were also more logistically affordable.

Australia's M-1s are so logistically problematic (8 hours of idle time vs. what? 50 hours for the old Leopard?); rate of failure and extreme expense that Defence had to park more of them. Note the quotes below are from people that don't know the story of the M-1 debacle.

It shows no less than 29 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks of the Army’s 1st Armoured Regiment awaiting transport back to Darwin following the conclusion last month of Exercise Hamel in Shoalwater Bay, Queensland.

If ever there was an image that captures the paltry state of the Australian Army’s much-anguished over heavy armoured capability in this Rudd/Gillard era of defence neglect, this is it.

We bought a total of 59 Abrams tanks from the US in 2005/06, with first deliveries in 2007. Of those 59 tanks, only 41 are actually available for operations – the remainder being set aside for training and attrition stocks. In time of conflict, 41 tanks is all we would have available to send on operations.

Those 41 tanks are operated by 1st Armoured Regiment in Darwin, which is our only tank unit.

Now comes the Govt intention, announced during the May Budget, to ‘mothball’ a squadron of tanks, bearing in mind there are 14 tanks in a squadron. Therefore, 41 minus 14 = 27 tanks left.

So in fact the photo you see shows 2 tanks too many! The actual number will be 27 tanks.

And really, how many of those 27 tanks will last more than a day or two in battle when supported by a strained logistics system?

Yet another score of gross incompetence by senior Defence.

Defence has a consistent record of not doing their homework and then making a completely dumb decision.

What is the current fix? Disband all M-1 tank operations, associated units, support and chair-warmers in Canberra. The M-1 tank brings no combat value to Australian operations.

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