Page 69 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
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force structures and prepare for the type of future con- flicts envisioned like those currently being witnessed in Ukraine,” he said.
“This project aims to acquire up to 450 IFVs, replac- ing the sixty-year-old M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers, which was introduced at a time when Air Force was fly- ing the Meteor (first flown in 1943) and the Navy operated HMAS Vampire (commissioned in 1959). The future IFV appeals to the promise of unprecedented firepower, protec- tion and mobility for the Army and can be employed in a variety of ways alongside a combination of tanks, infan- try, and a range of other joint capabilities and emerging technologies that are concurrently being introduced into service in the ADF.”
ABOVE: An M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank from the 1st Armoured Regiment live-fires its main armament
BRIG Langford added that, while the future IFV doesn’t represent the totality of Army’s land capability, it’s never- theless the core of the close combat team as it relates to the task of killing and capturing enemy forces, and the capabil- ity takes into account the existing threats on the modern battlefield, including Improvised Explosive Devices and loitering munitions.
“Many either see this role as confronting, distasteful or no longer relevant to war with the advent of modern tech- nology. And yet, what we see in theatres such as Ukraine
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