Australia has mothballed a $550m tank fleet. Ukraine would like a word



Ukrainian soldiers could soon be using retired Australian battle tanks in their fight against invading Russian forces, as the Albanese government works with the Biden administration on a plan to send them to the battlefield.

This masthead can reveal that, after previously appearing to rule out providing tanks to Ukraine, the government is considering its request and working with the US to make the transfer happen.

by RR8570

20 comments
  1. Australia should be doing a lot more for Ukraine. 

    We are in the middle of a rearmament program, and supporting Australian manufacturing has always been popular. Also the Australian defence industry needs to be uplifted also. 

    So no idea why more bushmasters (or even hawkei and redbacks), old tanks etc. aren’t being sent. Ordering more would drive down per unit costs, prove them in actual combat, keep production lines and know how, and quite possibly lead to more sales to other countries. 

    It’s pretty bizarre to be honest. Yeah, cost of living is a big election issue, but $2-3 billion to make stuff in Australia, creating jobs (and a lot of the facilities that make these are in rural areas) should be an easy sell to the electorate. 

  2. I ask anyone willing to email the PM and/or contact their local MP to make this happen! 🇦🇺 🇺🇦

  3. This shouldn’t even be up for debate. Australia? You the west’s ally? Send the fucking tanks.

    A beaten russia makes China ever more weaker and unstable. Wanna weaken China? Send the fucking tanks to Ukraine.

  4. As an Australian, I want my country to do anything they can to help Ukraine, if it is feasible, ANYTHING!

  5. Watch them go the way of so much other Australian gear being decomm’d – in the bin or on weapons ebay. 

  6. 400 challenger 1 s gathering dust in Jordan too also only recently mothballed. If the West really wanted Ukraine to win, it would. It seems to prefer that it slowly bleeds to death .

  7. That headline is utter gibberish & tge articles behind a pay wall

    Edit ok so I read another post on this & am now certain I’m a moron.

  8. Australia should be more like Canada (sorta) and not be so picky/prickly. Canada gave rockets that don’t work, firearms that are so out of date that they’re dangerous, a few (4 I think) Leopard IIs that were basically being used for spare parts, etc., etc, thinking that the Ukranians are so inventive and needy that they’ll make use of nearly anything the west gives them. And Ukrainians have done just that. Saved Canada loads of money they’d anyway spend to dispose of this stuff. Austrialia has the luxury of having perfectly good systems that they’re replacing with new kit. They should just do the right thing and send it, then say that they did much better than the Canada in supporting Ukraine. As a Canadian I’d be proud of Australians and ashamed for my own country.

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