Weaponry of the Australian Army

Australian Army

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Soldiers and a M113

M198 Howitzers firing during an exercise

From left to right, a Chinook, Blackhawk and Tiger helicopter

An NH90 Utility Helicopter

A soldier armed with a F88 AuSteyr fitted with a grenade launcher

Armoured Vehicles

• M1A1 Abrams - 59 M1A1 Abrams have been purchased to equip the 1st Armoured Regiment. The first M1 equipped sub-units of the regiment became operational in mid-2007. The Abrams is the most powerful vehicle in the Australian inventory. While retaining the gas turbine engines, the Australian Abrams tanks use diesel fuel instead of the kerosene based JP-8 that powers American Abrams tanks.
• M113 - The Army also has 700 M113 vehicles, which are used in the armoured reconnaissance and armoured personnel carrier roles, primarily by the Army's two mechanised infantry battalions. Half of these will eventually be upgraded to M113AS3/4 standard.
• ASLAV - The Army operates 255 ASLAV-25 vehicles, in a variety of roles including formation reconnaissance, as an infantry fighting vehicle, armoured ambulance, recovery vehicle.
• Bushmaster - The Army has ordered over 680 Bushmaster infantry mobility vehicles, with deliveries beginning in mid 2005. The Bushmasters will primarily be used to motorise the 7th Brigade though B Squadron, 3/4 Cavalry Regiment will also operate the lightly armoured vehicles in support of the 3rd Brigade.

Artillery

• M198 howitzer - The M198 is the Army's main large artillery piece
• L118 Field Gun - The 105 mm field gun is the Army's primary artillery support weapon.
• M2A2 howitzer - The 105mm M2A2 is used by most Army Reserve artillery units.
• RBS-70 - The RBS-70 is a man portable SAM system, and is set to be the only SAM system in the Australian Army upon retirement of Rapier. More sophisticated Bolide missiles have now been purchased.

Aircraft

• S-70A Blackhawk - The Sikorsky S70-A9 Blackhawk is the army's primary medium lift/assault helicopter. The S70-A9 was manufactured under license by Hawker deHavilland.
• CH-47 Chinook - The army operates Chinooks in the heavy lift role.
• OH-58 Kiowa - The Kiowa is utilised in the reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance role.The Kiowa is being replaced by the Tiger Armed Reconnaissace Helicopter.
• ARH Tiger - Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter first of 22 in Service modified and upgraded version of the Tiger HAP.

Infantry Weapons

• F88 AuSteyr - a derivative of the Austrian Steyr AUG STG-77 assault rifle. It is the ADF's standard individual weapon, which replaced the L1A1 SLR and supplanted the M-16 from front-line service in the late 1980s. The rifle is chambered for the 5.56 × 45 mm NATO cartridge. The rifle has a 508mm barrel and an integral 1.5x magnification optical sight inside the carry handle. This weapon is manufactured under licence in Australia by Thales Australia (formerly Australian Defence Industries Ltd).
  • F88C AuSteyr - a derivative of the Austrian Steyr AUG STG-77 assault rifle. This weapon is normally issued to personnel serving with limited space contraints. The rifle is chambered for the 5.56 × 45 mm NATO cartridge. This weapon is manufactured under licence in Australia by Thales Australia (formerly Australian Defence Industries Ltd).
  • F88S-A1 AuSteyr - a derivative of the Austrian Steyr AUG STG-77 assault rifle. This weapon is issued mainly to front-line combat infantry units. The rifle is chambered for the 5.56 × 45 mm NATO cartridge. The rifle has a 508mm barrel and has a flat top receiver with a long MILSTD 1913 'Picatinny' rail to accommodate specialised optical devices. This weapon is manufactured under licence in Australia by Thales Australia (formerly Australian Defence Industries Ltd).
  • F88S-A1C AuSteyr - a derivative of the Austrian Steyr AUG STG-77 assault rifle. This weapon is issued mainly to front-line combat infantry units that have room and weight constraints (Cavalry, Light Horse and Paratroopers). The rifle is chambered for the 5.56 × 45 mm NATO cartridge. The rifle has a 407mm barrel and has a flat top receiver with a long MILSTD 1913 'Picatinny' rail to accommodate specialised optical devices. This weapon is manufactured under licence in Australia by Thales Australia (formerly Australian Defence Industries Ltd).
• M4 Carbine - used by various Australian special forces units.
• Heckler & Koch MP5 sub-machine gun - used by Australian special forces units.
• M203 grenade launcher - 40x46mm grenade launcher attached to the F88 (RM Equipment M203PI) and M4 (Colt M203-A1) rifles. Replaced the M79 "Wombat Gun".
• F89 Minimi - the Army's standard light machine gun. The F89 is also manufactured under licence in Australia by Thales Australia.
• FN MAG 58 - the general purpose machine gun of the Australian Army which replaced the M60 machine gun from service. This weapon is chambered in 7.62 × 51 mm NATO cartridge
• Accuracy International AW - officially designated in Australia as the SR-98, the bolt action Accuracy International rifle is the standard-issue sniper rifle in the Australian Army and is chambered for 7.62x51mm. It replaced the Parker Hale Model 82 rifle in the late 1990s. Manufactured under licence in Australia by Thales Australia.
• SR-25 - the SR-25 is a semi-automatic 7.62 x 51 mm sniper rifle. It has recently been observed in service with reconnaissance and Special Forces units of the Australian Army. It has seen service in Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor.
• AW50F - the AW50F is the largest-bore variant of the Arctic Warfare sniper rifles suited to the anti-materiel role. It is chambered for the .50 BMG cartridge, and is primarily used with Raufoss Mk211 HEIAP rounds. The AW50F was designed with an Australian-designed and manufactured barrel.
• Browning GP-35 Mk. III Hi-Power - self-loading pistol chambered for 9 x 19 mm NATO, is the standard-issue service pistol of the Australian Defence Force.
• M252 mortar - the 81 mm mortar is the Army's primary mortar system.
• M72A6 Light Direct Fire Support Weapon - the M72A6 is a 66 mm single shot disposable anti-armour weapon.
• L14A1 Carl Gustav Medium Direct Fire Support Weapon - the Saab Bofors Dynamics is a 84mm recoilless rifle primarily used in the anti-armour role.
• Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) - the Javelin is a long-range, guided anti-armour missile.
• M18A1 Claymore Antipersonnel Mine - the Claymore is a command-detonated anti-personnel fragmentation weapon. It is called an "Anti-Personnel Device" due to the Commonwealth of Australia agreeing not to use mines of any type.
• F1 fragmentation hand grenade - hand grenade with an effective killing radius of 6m. Manufactured by Thales Australia.
• Browning M2HB-QCB - heavy machine gun not used at the infantry section level but rather as a heavy support weapon usually mounted on vehicles. It uses the .50 BMG cartridge and has an effective range in excess of 2000m .
• Mk 19 AGL - automatic grenade launcher that fires 40mm 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.
• Remington Model 870 - The Remington Model 870 is a 12 gauge pump-action shotgun. This firearm is commonly used by both Special Forces and Military Police personnel.

Combat Uniform of the Australian Army

There are two major combat uniforms worn by the Australian Defence Force - they are:

• Disruptive Pattern Combat Uniform - DPCU is the standard combat uniform worn in terrains that feature green and brown-shaded flora. The pattern has been in service since the late '80s.

• Disruptive Pattern Desert Uniform - DPDU is the Desert Combat uniform worn by Australian Defence Force personnel in theatres where the terrain is arid. It uses the same pattern as DPCU, but with the colours changed to suit the desert terrain. This uniform was instituted in the early 2000s, to meet the need for personnel serving overseas in Southwest Asia

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.^[1]

Future Equipment

Infantry Weapons

The Army is planning on replacing the F88 with the AICW which is still being tested but will hopefully be in service 2010-12, the most notable feature is a grenade launcher with 3 stacked rounds that uses electricity to fire off the grenade. The AICW aims 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.

Artillery

The Land 17 project has been initiated to choose replacements for the army's 155 mm and 105 mm artillery.

Aircraft

The Army is reorganising its aviation element, through the purchase of 22 Tiger attack helicopters, and 46 MRH 90 (a variant of the NHIndustries NH90) utility helicopters.

In addition, the Army will also acquire a number of UAVs (both the Skylark and I-View 250 have been purchased) and will equip the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, which is currently forming.

References

External links

• Manufacturing process of the F88 rifle - Army News, 6 September 2007.