Tanks and combat reconnaissance and engineering vehicles were embarked on a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ship to test sea transport capabilities.
As per a Defence Australia press statement, a recent trial was conducted in Townsville, Queensland, involving loading Australian Army assets onto HMAS Adelaide, one of the RAN’s landing helicopter docks (LHDs).
The LHD platform forms one of the key elements of the Australian armed forces’ littoral warfare plans. The ship is purpose-built for amphibious operations, with a shallow-draft design meaning it can dock at ports and in coastal areas otherwise inaccessible to larger vessels.
As per the press statement, the recent exercise was the first time the Army’s next-generation M1A2 Abrams tanks, combat engineering vehicles and Block II Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles had been physically embarked on a Royal Australian Navy ship to test their sea transportability.
Colonel Ben Shepherd, of the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG), described the exercise as critical to confirming the Army’s newest land combat systems were adaptable to Australia’s strategic environment.
He commented: “Testing their integration and mobility with the Navy’s LHDs demonstrates that we can move these vehicles rapidly and safely into areas where our forces are needed most.”
And Colonel David Hughes,the Australian Army’s Land Combat Vehicle Programme Director, added: “This activity proves that Army’s newest armoured vehicles are truly part of the integrated joint force, thanks to the hard work and training by the soldiers of the 3rd Brigade, and the excellent support by Navy and CASG.
“This complements the amphibious activities by Army’s armoured force elements on Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.”
- You can read more details on the Defence Australia website