The M2/M3 Bradley makes a nice addition to your Abrams collection...8-)
Posted on 02/17/2006 7:10:26 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
THE first five of 59 Abrams battle tanks for the Australian Army rolled off a United States production line this week.
Defence said the newly refurbished tanks remained on schedule for introduction to Australian service. The first are destined for army training schools in Australia later this year.
They will enter operational service in Darwin by mid-2007.
Defence said in a statement a ceremony marking completion of the first five vehicles was held at the Joint Services Manufacturing Centre in Lima, Ohio. It was attended by Australian Defence Organisation representatives.
These tanks will go to Fort Hood, Texas, in preparation for training of Australian tank soldiers and technicians.
The Army has ordered 59 of the rebuilt tanks, officially designating the Abrams M1A1, Abrams Integrated Management (AIM), to replace the army's ageing Leopard AS1 tank. They will provide increased firepower, mobility and survivability for soldiers on the battlefield.
Defence said the new tanks would form a key component of the hardened and networked army announced by the Government last year.
"The Abrams ensures that if we have to deploy our forces on close combat operations they will have the combat weight they need to achieve their mission without undue risk," Defence said.
Under the Abrams AIM program, used tanks are completely rebuilt to new condition with added enhancements of armour, firepower, electronics and mechanical improvements.
The modification process for the Australian tanks started in June last year when the 59 Australian-selected M1A1 tanks were transferred to the Anniston Army Depot, Alabama.
There they were stripped to their component parts. The upgrade and technology enhancement process takes place at the Joint Services Manufacturing Centre in Lima, Ohio.
Same at ya Mate!
Very nice, enjoy them. :)
Good on you, mates & good hunting too.
Good on the Aussie`s but why do they need Abrams and where would they use them? Curious
Question..does Australia have an airlift capability to deploy the tanks with troops, or do they have to travel via ship?
I don't believe any aircraft can carry an abrams - they go by ship.
The M2/M3 Bradley makes a nice addition to your Abrams collection...8-)
Wherever they are needed.
Seriously, part of the reason for choosing Abrams is so that our tank crews are able to deploy into US equipment overseas. Hypothetically a situation could develop where the US would move Abrams tanks from the United States to a war zone during a joint operation, and Australia would merely send crews to operate those tanks.
For local purposes, the Abrams are probably overkill - but few people complain about having too much firepower in a small war - but this gives Australia a much greater capability to support allied operations overseas.
My reply at #9 might interest you in terms of Australia's strategic thinking on deployment.
BANG!
C-5 can carry 2 and the C-17 can carry 1.
oh, sorry.
C-5 is a huge plane.
Out of control Aborigines.
So that's about a battalion's worth. I wonder who will field them for the Aussie army. Any ideas?
Not a one.
Along with the Brits and Polls, I think the Aussies are America's best friends
'Onyah, Aussies!
BUMPping
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