LWI - Land Warfare
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.’
More from Land Warfare
-
Russia to replace legendary Makarov with new pistol
Russia will replace the legendary Soviet-era Makarov pistols used by its police and army with a new model that can work in extreme temperatures and ...
-
US to study making missile defence test site in Hawaii operational
The US DoD intends to study whether the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex in Kauai, Hawaii, could be turned into a combat-ready system to ...
-
Northrop demos APS for US Army
Northrop Grumman demonstrated advanced vehicle active protection system (APS) technologies against anti-tank guided munitions (ATGM) during a US Army sponsored exercise in Huntsville, Alabama. The ...
-
Outgoing US Army chief hails improved readiness
As the US Army prepares to submit is FY20 budget the service remains confident that it will continue to build readiness and prepare for a ...
-
Slovenian MoD postpones Boxer procurement programme
The Slovenian MoD is postponing the acquisition of the German-made Boxer 8x8 IFV, intended to form the base vehicle in a medium-sized Middle Battalion Battle ...
-
US Army eyes interim cruise missile defence
The US Army is looking to field an interim cruise missile defence capability to provide near-term protection until the longer-term Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) ...