An M1A2 Abrams tank arrives at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville, on 14 November 2024. (Commonwealth of Australia)
The Australian Army's 3rd Brigade has received its first four of 14 assigned General Dynamics Land Systems Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 (Systems Enhancement Package Version 3) main battle tanks (MBTs), the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has announced.
In a press release on 27 November the DoD said the new tanks were delivered to the 3rd Brigade's headquarters at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville in Queensland, about two weeks earlier. It added that the remaining 10 M1A2s will be delivered to the 3rd Brigade by the end of 2024.
The assignment is part of a larger Australian Army procurement of 75 M1A2s. A DoD spokesperson told Janes on 28 November that Australia has received 46 of the 75 tanks it ordered from the United States in 2022.
The DoD has previously said that in addition to Townsville the tanks will be operated from Australian Army bases at sites including Puckapunyal and Bandiana in Victoria.
The DoD has not provided additional details on M1A2 assignments to other Australian Army bases.
However, it said the new tanks will be incorporated in army field training early in the new year. An initial group of Australian Army soldiers completed operations and maintenance training on the M1A2s in Puckapunyal in early November.
Commenting on the Australian Army's new M1A2 capability, the DoD press release said the MBTs are “essential for the army's combined arms fighting system and will enable land forces to control key strategic positions”.
The DoD also cited Officer Commanding C Squadron Major Trent Lam as saying that the M1A2 has increased firepower, protection, and mobility compared with the M1A1s, which were retired from Australian Army service in August.
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