Major Programs: Latest Coverage

UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopter

Australia will acquire a fleet of 40 Sikorsky UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters, under a foreign military sale with the United States worth AU$2.85 billion, to replace Australia’s fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters as part of LAND 4507 Phase 1. The ...

E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control Aircraft

Boeing’s E-7A Wedgetail was developed for the Royal Australian Air Force, with the first two aircraft delivered in late 2009 following a series of delays through the development process. The Wedgetail provides Australia with the world’s ...

P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Australia currently operates a fleet of 12 P-8A aircraft, with an additional two aircraft on order, which are operated by No. 11 and No. 292 Squadrons at RAAF Base Edinburgh. The P-8A Poseidon has deployed on a vast number of operations and ...

F/A-18F Super Hornet and E/A-18G Growler

Australia currently operates a fleet of 24 F-18 E/F Super Hornet with 12 E/A-18G Growler aircraft, originally acquired to prevent a capability gap between the retirement of the RAAF’s legacy F-18 A/B Hornets and the introduction of the F-35A ...

F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is billed as a catalyst for the fifth-generation revolution, changing the face and capability of the Royal Australian Air Force and the wider Australian Defence Force. For the RAAF, the F-35A’s ...

AS21 Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Hanwha Defense Australia was announced as the successful tenderer for the AU$5–7 billion LAND 400 Phase 3 program to replace Australia's Cold War-era fleet of M113AS4 armoured personnel carriers. The government's Defence Strategic Review ...

Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle

Rheinmetall Defence Australia was announced as the preferred tenderer for the AU$5.2 billion LAND 400 Phase 2 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle program to replace the Australian Army's ageing Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV). As part of the ...

MQ-4C Triton Uncrewed Aircraft System

The MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) remotely piloted aircraft system is a high-altitude aircraft that will be used for maritime patrol and other surveillance roles. Australia's Triton fleet will be based at RAAF Base Tindal, ...

M1A2 System Enhancement Program Version 3 Abrams Main Battle Tank

Australia is replacing its ageing fleet of 59 M1A1 Abrams with 75 of the latest generation M1A2 System Enhancement Program Version 3 (SEPv3) main battle tanks as part of the AU$3.5 billion LAND 907 Phase 2 project. The Abrams SEPv3 variant retains ...

AH-64E Apache ‘Guardian’ Attack Helicopter

Announced in May 2022, Australia will acquire a fleet of 29 Boeing-built AH-64E “Guardian” variant of the Apache attack helicopter as part of the AU$5.5 billion LAND 4503 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter replacement program. The AH-64E is ...

AS9 Huntsman Self-Propelled Howitzer

Announced in 2019 as part of the AU$900 million–AU$1.3 billion LAND 8116 Phase 1 project, Australia will acquire a fleet of 42 AS9 Huntsman vehicles and AS10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicles to be built at Hanwha Defense Australia's ...

M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System

First announced in mid-2022, the Lockheed Martin-built M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) will provide the Australian Army with a next-generation, long-range strike capability. Australia initially committed to a batch of 20 HIMARS ...

MH-60R Romeo Seahawk

The Sikorsky-built MH-60R Romeo Seahawk provides the Royal Australian Navy with a leading-edge, shipborne anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, command and control, vertical replenishment, and search and rescue capabilities. An evolution of the ...

KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport Aircraft

Based on the Airbus commercial A330 airliner, the KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft provides the Australian Defence Force and its allies with a global reach, aerial refuelling, and airlift capability. The KC-30A features advanced ...

National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS)

Australia selected the Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace-designed National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) in 2017 to be built in Australia by Raytheon Australia in partnership with Kongsberg Defence Australia. The AU$2.5 billion ...