Those are just stock capability diagrams from Navantia, filled with Spanish vehicles (such as the AAV-7). They bare no resemblance to realistic loads when actually in service.
Fair enough, thought the CRV or what ever they called it looked like AAVs. Still it was an interesting read and I wouldn't object to Australia getting some upgraded AAV-7s although I understand there is no current requirement..
Any news on what's happening with Beersheba with the change of government?
There's really been no changes to Beersheeba after the change in government. There have been a few developments though. They've decided on the names and dispositions of the ACRs. 1 Armd Regt will be in 1 Bde, 2 Cav will be in 3 Bde and 2/14 will be in 7 Bde. Luckily there have been no unnecessary name changes to the regiments. B Sqn 3/4 Cav will cease to exist from the end of this year, and will then be re-raised as a reserve unit in 11 Bde.
1 Armd Regt will relocate to Adelaide eventually, which will mean a lot of the units currently located in Adelaide will relocated back to Adelaide. A bunch of money has been allocated to buy more M88s and RPS and things, so it is likely that the Abrams will be disaggregated around 2017 as planned.
MARKMILES77
Active Member
What does RPS stand for?
Repair Parts Store. All the stuff you need to keep everything working. Since it has to be split over four locations instead of two, you need more of it to ensure you hav the correct widget on hand.
t68
Well-Known Member
According to the media release on the 11 May 2012, 15 M1A1 were placed into temporary storage along with M113AS4 To reduce operating cost for the ADF unless that directive was withdrawn after the announcement was made.
Defence News and Media » Chief of Army – Letter to the Editor – The West Australian
RBS-70 was enhanced a few years back with the upgraded Bolide missile, an added clip-on night vision device and networked with a cued radar system (the Lockheed Martin PSTAR-ER radar).
They will also I believe become vehicle mounted with the Bushmaster Air Defence Variant, allowing them to support mobile battlegroups and this capability is also being integrated into the ADF Joint Fires system, with the radar surveillance assets of 16 Air Land Regiment feeding into AFADTS.
It will be interesting if 16 AL will be split into three separate batteries to support the new Army structure, or whether they will be retained as a stand alone capability to be deployed when and as required.
16 ALR has been split into a number of batteries, but only one of them is GBAD. The others are CRAM and JTACs. Under Plan Beersheeba, any capabilities that are either very expensive or very unlikely to be used / not flexible wont have three units/sub units to rotate the capability like everything else. They will essentially have a max of two sets of equipment - one to deploy and one to maintain the capability while deployed. GBAD very much fits in this category.
t68
Well-Known Member
Ah thanks for that I did not know they changed it must be abit more complicated storing a gas turbine engine than an old diesel propelled vehicle. From memory they were going to built a climate controlled garage for them.
There was no problem with physically storing the tanks (after all the US stores thousands of them) it was with the second and third order effects of storing them.
For instance, under Plan Beersheeba the tank capability is growing from two squadrons to three, plus there is a lot of experimentation going on regarding ACRs and amphibious capability. It is a really bad time to mothball a third of the fleet and lose all those training opportunities.
Mothballing another hundred odd M113 on the other hand really has no impact other than the fact that those vehicles won't be available for a couple of years. When the decision was made 7 RAR was deployed, so had little use for their vehicles, and under Plan Beersheeba they are losing their vehicles anyway. Since the M113s are being handed over to the RAAC, none of the infantry soldiers (except those transferring to RAAC) will need to maintain that skillset either, so it's no great loss to anyone in the long term.
The launchers are not fired from the Bushmaster ADV it just provides protected mobility for the launcher, crew and spare missiles. RBS 70 can be pretty quickly set up (x seconds) however because it is a lightweight system and does not require a lot of cables to be attached and old electronics to warm up like on the old Rapier system (x minutes).
We have enough RBS 70 and PSTAR systems for two batteries plus training and maintenance floats. Each battery at full strength has three troops. Each troop is a single PSTAR and five RBS 70 launchers. The need for GBAD on deployment is pretty low and a single GBAD troop of RBS 70 would provide a fair bit of air defence for a battlegroup sized amphibious task force.
The kind of skill sets required for the CRAM battery would enable it to very quickly convert to an air defence battery with a radar/computer controlled missile system (RBS 23, MEADS, David's Sling, etc). If the air threat was higher and more complex requiring such a system other than RBS 70 style systems.
It would definitely go against Australian military tradition (Yeraba excepted) to have artillery of any type that could actually be considered mechanised, armoured or even just self propelled.
Not so much a problem with the Army rather one with politicians who look and think, "that looks very warlike and/or expensive, we obviously should not buy it".
I don't think there is any military tradition against mechanised artillery. The medium battery used to be organised (on paper) is if it was a SP battery just without the M109s. But to mount our existing RBS 70 launchers on a Bushmaster firing platform would require an awful lot of engineering to the Bushmaster. Some sort of open top and pedestal, etc. It wouldn't be stabilised so only of use at the short stop and the launcher would be unprotected. I doubt it would add much in terms of air defence capability.
There is a mechanised RBS 70 launcher called ASRAD-R but it would cost a few more dollars to buy. Probably would have been better to buy 16 or so ASRAD-R launchers to fit to ASLAV-PC or Bushmaster hulls rather than the second battery of RBS-70 launchers but foresight in capability development is something unfortunately thin on the ground 10-20 years ago.
t68
Well-Known Member
I was looking thru cars sales and out of curiosity I look up to see if any ex ADF rovers were up and to see how much they were, but any way I came across an unusual type which I have never seen before, can anyone give me a heads up on this and what it was for. At first I thought it was some type of sig vehicle but in my time never remember see them like this.
1989 Land Rover 110 Perentie
never mind I found what it was.
http://www.remlr.com/perentie_identification.html#4x4survey
1989 Land Rover 110 Perentie
never mind I found what it was.
http://www.remlr.com/perentie_identification.html#4x4survey
King Wally
Active Member
I have been wondering if anyone could clear up for me what the plan is with the Australian Army Black Hawks?
For some time I have seen the new MRH-90's zooming around where I live and have wondered if there is some intention soon to formally retire the Black Hawks and 100% move across to the MRH-90? I don't seam to have heard anything about this and I have been thinking that perhaps the Army is planning to cling onto the Black Hawks for as long as possible?
For some time I have seen the new MRH-90's zooming around where I live and have wondered if there is some intention soon to formally retire the Black Hawks and 100% move across to the MRH-90? I don't seam to have heard anything about this and I have been thinking that perhaps the Army is planning to cling onto the Black Hawks for as long as possible?