Australia deploys Hawkei to Middle East
Two Australian Army Hawkei protected mobility vehicles have been deployed into the Middle East region as part of a defence trial, the Australian Department of Defence announced on 13 January.
The vehicles have been sent to Iraq’s Taji Military Complex to test their sustainability and ability to deploy to and from an operational area. The vehicles will be employed by Australian soldiers within Task Group Taji Six throughout the trial.
The trial will inform army thinking on how the vehicles can be best deployed in operational environments and ensure the vehicle’s readiness before the commencement of full production in 2019.
The Hawkei vehicle’s design and protective technology makes it capable of withstanding significant blast and ballistic threats.
Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne, said: ‘Defence and Thales Australia have been working closely to develop this vehicle by conducting a rigorous design, test, and evaluation process, and both organisations should be proud of their work.
‘The Hawkei builds on Thales Australia’s international success with the Bushmaster vehicle, which is in service with seven countries.’
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