Weaponry of the Australian Army

From left to right, a Chinook, Black Hawk and Tiger helicopter

Armoured vehicles

A M1A1 Abrams tank and a M113AS4 personnel carrier.

Utility and other vehicles

One of the first RMMV HX trucks to be handed over to the Australian Army on 7 April 2016. From 2016 RMMV HX and SX trucks will replace the Unimog and Mack fleets

Watercraft

Artillery

Air defence

Aircraft

Name Origin Type Number[20] Notes
Airbus Helicopters ARH Tiger FranceFrance
GermanyGermany
Armed reconnaissance helicopter 22 Modified and upgraded version of the Tiger HAP. These helicopters will be phased out throughout by the 2020 by the formal Tiger ARH replacement project.
NHIndustries MRH-90 Taipan France/Germany/Italy/Netherlands Medium lift/utility helicopter 28[21] Replaced the UH-1 Iroquois in 2008, and eventually the Black Hawks. 13 on order.
UH-60 Black Hawk United StatesUnited States Medium lift/utility helicopter 34 The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is the Army's primary battlefield lift/utility helicopter. The helicopters were assembled by Hawker de Havilland. Eventually to be replaced by the MRH-90 with 20 aircraft remaining in service with the 6th Aviation Regiment until 2021 to support special forces missions.[21]
Boeing CH-47F Chinook United StatesUnited States Heavy lift helicopter 10[22]
Bell 206 Kiowa United StatesUnited States Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance 19 It is being replaced by the Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter.
Bell 206 Kiowa United StatesUnited States Training Helicopter 12 To be replaced by the Eurocopter EC135
Eurocopter EC135 T2+ GermanyGermany Training helicopter 15 (Joint with Navy)[23] Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) shared with the Navy

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Name Origin Type Number[24] Notes
AAI RQ-7 Shadow United StatesUnited States Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance 18
ScanEagle United StatesUnited States Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance

Infantry weapons

F88S-A1 Austeyr, shown fitted is:
- a standard issue carry handle/1.5x power sight,
- M203 grenade launcher
- and an AN/PEQ-2 night aiming device.
SR-25 rifle, Heckler & Koch USP sidearm and Multicam uniform.
MAG-58 fitted with 3.4x Elcan Wildcat sight.
Assault rifles and carbines
Precision rifles
Machine guns

Pistols

Name Origin Type Calibre Photo Notes
Browning GP-35 Mk. III Hi-Power  Belgium Semi-automatic pistol 9mm The Browning GP-35 Mk. III Hi-Power is the standard issue pistol service pistol of the Australian Defence Force.
Heckler & Koch USP  Germany Semi-automatic pistol 9mm The Heckler & Koch USP is used by various special forces units.

Submachine guns

Name Origin Type Calibre Photo Notes
Heckler & Koch MP5  Germany Submachine gun 9mm Primarily used by special forces units.

Shotguns

Name Origin Type Calibre Photo Notes
Remington Model 870  United States Shotgun 12-gauge Used by both Special Forces and Military Police personnel. It is also used in specific roles within the infantry.

Grenade launchers

Name Origin Type Calibre Photo Notes
M203 grenade launcher  United States grenade launcher 40×46mm Attaches to the F88 (RM Equipment M203PI) and M4 (Colt M203-A1) rifles.
Mk 19 AGL  United States automatic grenade launcher 40×53mm Automatic grenade launcher that fires grenades at a cyclic rate of 325-375 rounds per minute, giving a practical rate of fire of 60 rounds per minute (rapid) and 40 rounds per minute (sustained). Usually vehicle mounted by Australian special forces units.
Mk 47 Striker LWAGL  United States automatic grenade launcher 40×53mm Mk 47 Mod 1 Lightweight automatic grenade launcher (LWAGL) is 36% of the weight of the Mk 19, has a further range than the Mk 19 and is fitted with Lightweight Video Sight (LVS2) sighting system. It will be issued to infantry battalions from late 2016 and to Special Operation Command units from early 2017.[33]

Anti-armour

Name Origin Type Calibre Photo Notes
66 mm Short-Range Anti-Armour Weapon (M72 LAW)  United States anti-tank rocket launcher 66mm A single shot disposable anti-armour weapon
L14A1 Carl Gustav Medium Direct Fire Support Weapon  Sweden recoilless rifle 84mm Primarily used in the anti-armour role.
Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM)  United States guided anti-armour missile 127mm

Mortars

Name Origin Type Calibre Photo Notes
F2 81mm Mortar  United Kingdom
 Canada
Mortar 81mm

Grenades and anti personnel mines

Name Origin Type Detonation Photo Notes
F1 fragmentation hand grenade  Australia Frag grenade Fuse Manufactured by Thales Australia. It has a lethal range of 6 m (20 ft) and has a fuse time of 4.5 to 5.5 seconds.
M18A1 Claymore Antipersonnel Mine  United States Anti-personnel mine Remote It is called an "Anti-Personnel Device" due to the Commonwealth of Australia agreeing not to use mines of any type.

Bayonets

Name Origin Type Photo Notes
M9 Bayonet  Australia Bayonet The Army's primary combat knife used by all personnel and attached on the F88 Austeyr and the M4 carbine.

Combat uniform of the Australian Army

F88A2 rifle and the Australian Multicam Pattern (AMP) combat uniform

There are three major combat uniforms worn by the Australian Defence Force, they are:

The current issue of DPCU is known as 'DPCU-NIR' - or Disruptive Pattern Combat Uniform - Near Infra-Red. The Defence Science and Technology Organisation has developed materials for use in combat uniforms which will reduce night-vision detection, and it has been integrated into this uniform, which also sports a new cut and shape, the NATO-style front rank epaulette, zip-fastening, sleeve pockets and Velcro tabs.[37]

Future equipment

Infantry weapons

The Army has began to roll out their new state of the art rifle, the Enhanced F88 (EF88). The new rifle has several new features including improved modularity featuring extended accessories rail, a fixed barrel, bolt catch release and a black paint scheme. It was confirmed in July 2015 that the contract for 30,000 EF88 rifles had been approved with full roll out starting in 2016. 2,500 Steyr Mannlicher SL40 grenade launchers have also been ordered.[38]

The Army had previously planned on replacing the F88 with the Advanced Individual Combat Weapon (AICW) by 2010–2012. The most notable feature of the AICW is a grenade launcher with 3 stacked rounds that uses electricity to fire off the grenade. The AICW had aimed to provide the infantry soldier with the ability to fire multiple grenades without having to reload, and to switch between 5.56 mm ballistic rounds and 40 mm grenades without changing sights, trigger or stance, giving the operator more versatility and reduced reaction times in combat. The AICW has all but disappeared from the Army's sights and it is unlikely to ever make a return. The company responsible for the ACIW, Metal Storm Limited was placed in voluntary administration in 2012.[25]

The Army decided to procure the Mk 47 Striker 40 mm lightweight automatic grenade launcher in mid-2015, and plans to begin receiving units within one year.[39]

Armoured vehicles

In December 2011, the Thales Hawkei PMV (Protected Military Vehicle) was selected as the preferred tender for the Army's requirement of a light 4x4 armored car with a potential order for 1300 vehicles.[40] The seven-tonne Hawkei has been described as a 'baby' variant of the Bushmaster[41] having been developed by the same manufacturer.

Under LAND 400 the ASLAV and M113s will be replaced, with the project to acquire a Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV), an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), a Manoeuvre Support Vehicle (MSV) and an Integrated Training System (ITS). The ASLAV fleet is planned to be replaced from 2020, and the M113s from 2025.[42] On 19 February 2015 the tender was opened for the replacement of the ASLAV, listing a requirement for up to 225 armored vehicles to provide the future mounted combat reconnaissance capability.[43] The remaining requirements of the project will be confirmed by the upcoming Defence White Paper; however, it is expected to include an infantry fighting vehicle—a capability currently only partly provided by the in-service M113AS4 Armoured Personnel Carrier—as well as a manoeuvre support vehicle, and an integrated training system.[44] The project is valued at more than $10 billion and is expected to acquire approximately 700 vehicles.[45]

Aircraft

The Army is reorganising its aviation element, through the purchase of 22 ARH Tiger attack helicopters and 30 MRH 90 Taipan utility helicopters (30 helicopters out of a total purchase of 46, which will be divided between Army, Fleet Air Arm and a joined MRH 90 training base). Furthermore, 7 CH-47F Chinook heavy lift helicopters will be purchased to replace the Army's five remaining CH-47D Chinook helicopters. In addition, the Army will also acquire a number of UAVs (including a number of Boeing ScanEagles and 18 RQ-7 Shadow) which will equip the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, at Enoggera Barracks, Queensland.[46] Smaller UAVs being trialed include the AeroVironment Wasp III and Black Hornet Nano.[47]

Previously it was planned that the MRH-90 would eventually replace all of the Army's Black Hawks, with the Black Hawk fleet planned to be reduced to 18 operational aircraft in 2014–15 as part of the phased withdrawal of the type from service.[48] However, in December 2015 it was announced that 20 Black Hawks will remain in service with the 6th Aviation Regiment until the end of 2021 to provide aviation support to special forces.[21]

The Army as part of a joint program with the RAN under Air 9000 Phase 7B are seeking future advanced training and light support helicopters. The helicopters being offered by industry are: Eurocopter EC-135 (from Boeing-Thales), Bell 429 (Raytheon-Bell) and Agusta A109 (from BAE-CAE-AgustaWestland).[49]

References

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