Login
iscover
The Australian Defence Force has traded their traditional EF88 Austeyr service weapons in favour of Russian Kalashnikov automatic rifles as they prepare to train Ukrainian troops.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Australian Army soldiers from the 8/9th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, were given the opportunity to get some insight and “hands-on time” into the Soviet-era battle rifles during AK-47 weapon handling tests at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane late last month.
More than 90 ADF personnel are involved in Australia’s commitment to the training of armed forces of Ukraine recruits in the United Kingdom under Operation Kudu.
During the basic infantry tactics training for urban and wooded environments, ADF personnel work alongside partner nations as part of the United Kingdom-led training program to build additional capacity for Ukraine to defend their homeland.
“A contingent of Australian infantry soldiers, drawn mostly from the 8th/9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, have deployed to the UK for the next rotation of Operation Kudu,” according to a statement from Defence.
“The contingent received their Operation Kudu patches at a parade at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane in late June.
“Prior to deploying, the Australian soldiers conducted familiarisation training with the AK-47 family of assault rifles, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces use.”
During Operation Kudu, Ukrainian recruits are trained in the use of weaponry, such as the AK-47, urban and trench warfare, combat first aid, explosive hazard awareness and marksmanship.
The 7.62mm Avtomat Kalashnikova Model 47 (Automatic Kalashnikov), considered one of the most widely adopted firearms in the world, was manufactured as a prototype in 1947 before being accepted into the Soviet military in 1949.
Earlier this year, the US government transferred more than 5,000 AK-47s, machine guns, sniper rifles, RPG-7s and over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian forces.
The weapons and munitions were originally seized by US Central Command and partner naval forces from four separate transiting stateless vessels between 22 May 2021 to 15 February 2023. The munitions were reportedly being transferred from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to Houthi Rebels in Yemen in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
