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.’
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![CTAI’s 40mm cannon gains new A3B airburst round for UAV defence]()
CTAI’s 40mm cannon gains new A3B airburst round for UAV defence
CTA International (CTAI), a joint venture between KNDS France and BAE Systems, developed the 40mm Cased Telescoped Armament System (40 CTAS) for integration onto armoured vehicles. It has been further developed for ships and ground-based systems.
-
![What weapons have Israel and Iran been using against each other?]()
What weapons have Israel and Iran been using against each other?
Tehran has been relying on UAVs and ballistic missiles while Jerusalem uses jets, deep fires and precision-guided munitions.
-
![Paris Air Show 2025: Fulgur air defence missile revealed in anticipation of potential market]()
Paris Air Show 2025: Fulgur air defence missile revealed in anticipation of potential market
The missile was first unveiled at SeaFuture 2023 and later at the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2024. Operational delivery is expected in 2028.
-
![Paris Air Show 2025: MBDA bets on carmaker to help make new one-way effector]()
Paris Air Show 2025: MBDA bets on carmaker to help make new one-way effector
The One-Way Effector (OWE) is a ground-launched missile or drome designed to act as a swarm to overwhelm air defence systems. It was displayed for the first time in Paris this week.
-
![UK artillery factory opens as defence review inches forward]()
UK artillery factory opens as defence review inches forward
The new artillery and howitzer factory pre-dates the emphasis on this capability from this month’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The first joint industry-government meeting outlined in the review took place this week.
