Australia to spend $1 billion on world leader armoured vehicles

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is to acquire 1,100 Hawkei 4×4 light protected mobility vehicles at a cost of AUD1.

The determination of Thales over opponent contractors, including from the USA, for the light-armored vehicle contract would be a help for Australia’s defense industry as those vehicles would be assembled at the company’s manufacturing plant in Bendigo, a former gold-mining city nearly 100 miles from state capital Melbourne.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull set to confirm Thales will build 1000-plus Hawkei vehicles.

The Hawkei personnel carriers can carry six commandos up to 1, 000 km at a top-speed of 110 km per hour, while offering protection against explosives and landmines.

Thales defeated several overseas bidders for the contract under a project called Land 121 Phase 4 that will guarantee hundreds of jobs at its Bendigo factory for the next decade and beyond.

Australia is seeking to modernize its military to cope with potential threats in the…

Thales’ Bendigo office likewise creates the bigger Bushmaster infantry vehicle, which was utilized by Australian troops as a part of Afghanistan and has been traded to the Netherlands and the U.S.

“The Bushmaster was exported to three countries… the market for Hawkei is worldwide”.

The Hawkei has been tested at the army’s proving ground at Monegeetta, where Mr Turnbull and Defence Minister Marise Payne inspected four prototypes on Monday.

The government is facing a major decisions on defence spending, with the army eager to upgrade other heavy troop carriers, with a total cost of about $10 billion, while the navy awaits a decision on the submarine build, which will cost at least $20 billion.

“The reality is that IEDs are a feature of the modern battlefield, that type of threat is certainly going to be there and these vehicles are able to operate (effectively) in every terrain”, Turnbull told the media on Monday.