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Four new Australian Army Hawkei light protected mobility vehicles have touched down at Hobart Airport as the first Hawkei vehicles delivered to Tasmania.
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A Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III aircraft from RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland delivered the vehicles to Hobart Airport in Tasmania on Friday, 23 February.
The vehicles were welcomed by Australian Army personnel from 12th/40 Battalion, Royal Tasmania Regiment, and other 4th Brigade units. Officials at the event included Commander of 2nd Australian Division Major General David Thomae and Commander of 4th Brigade Brigadier Michelle Campbell.
The vehicles have since travelled across the Tasman Bridge to the Australian Army’s Derwent Barracks in Glenorchy.
The Hawkei protected mobility vehicle – designed and built in Bendigo, Victoria, by Thales Australia, a subsidiary of the French defence company Thales Group – provides survivability, mobility, useability, payload, sustainability, and communications for the Australian Defence Force.
Under the Commonwealth government’s $2 billion LAND 121 Phase 4 project, 1,100 Hawkei vehicles and 1,058 companion trailers would be delivered to Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force units for use in command, liaison, utility, and reconnaissance roles.
“The Hawkei will enable Army Reserve soldiers at 12th/40th Battalion, Royal Tasmania Regiment, and other 4th Brigade units in Tasmania to use the latest generation technology and build their skills with this new vehicle and its capabilities,” a Defence spokesperson said.
“Hawkei vehicles will play a critical role in Army’s future, providing protection for up to five soldiers deployed on a variety of missions in high-threat environments.”
The new vehicles are expected to help Australian Defence Force personnel located in Tasmania during their mission to prepare, command, and control forces to protect Australia.
The vehicle has previously garnered international attention with Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, advocating for supply of the Thales-built Hawkei protected mobility vehicles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in their fight against the Russian military.
“The Hawkeis are really impressive: they’re smaller, they’re faster, they’re nimble and they’re brand new,” Myroshnychenko told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age following a visit to Thales’ manufacturing facility in 2022.
“(Ukraine could) test them in the battlefield, see how they perform, and we’ll provide invaluable feedback to the Australian defence forces for you to improve those vehicles.”
Japan and the United Kingdom have also expressed an interest in the vehicles.
The 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (RAR), based in Townsville, received the first tranche of vehicles in April 2020.
