Army’s biggest current program under the various phases of Land 121 Overlander is a mixed bag in terms of where the various phases stand. Phase 3 has been split into Alpha of G-Wagon with trailers and modules; and Bravo with medium-weight, medium, and heavy (4x4, 6x6, 8x8 respectively) trucks, an array of varied tractors and semitrailers, recovery trucks, integrated load handling systems, bulk liquid fuel and water and a range of modules that now are supplemented by Phase 5 vehicles. Phase 4 with the Hawkei continues testing.

Australian troops participating with US forces in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2013 later this year will benefit from an unsung but refreshingly efficient operation in which Army’s deployable instrumented live simulation training system was upgraded and its capacity nearly tripled within a demanding timeframe.

When the Operational Test and Evaluation phase of Army’s Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial System highlighted the need for a system to archive video footage and other data received from the air vehicle, Australian industry and Defence stepped to the fore.

The Weapons Training Simulation System (commonly known as the WTSS) has been in place with the ADF since 1999. Since that time, the system has undergone a number of enhancements and the number of lanes available has expanded throughout bases all over the nation.

Defence reports that both training and the rollout of the individual soldier’s version of the Army’s new battle management system is progressing well, as is the installation of the mounted version into vehicles.

This might be a courageous call but it seems Defence has finally cracked the near impossible task of acquiring and issuing kit which soldiers find wholly satisfactory. Gone seem to be the days when soldiers derided at least some items of their equipment, most often boots and webbing, as complete crap.

Maintaining armoured vehicles in Afghanistan is, needless to say, a different proposition to running the family sedan down to the local garage for its regular service.

Last month, media gathered at RAAF Base Amberley for a day of instruction and subsequent driving of the new Mercedes Benz G-Wagons, being purchased by Army under Project Overlander, Land 121 (a detailed history of Land 121 is available on our website’s archives search).

Tenders have closed for what promises to be a massive overhaul of Defence’s warehousing and distribution facilities and services— currently operating out of some 24 Defence-owned sites across the country—together with the maintenance of much of the ADF’s land materiel systems.

The decision to compete for propellants and ammunition with the expiration of the Strategic Agreement for Munitions Supply (SAMS) contract in 2015 has seen six contenders put their hands up. ADM editor Katherine Ziesing looks at the Domestic Munitions Manufacturing Arrangements (DMMA) and the offerings on the table.

Marshall Land Systems, manufacturers of Military Off The Shelf deployable systems, is stepping up its presence in Australia with the recent appointment of Iain Watt as Head of Business Development of Marshall Land Systems Australia (MLSA).

With its high levels of protection, excellent mobility and ready adaptability, the Bushmaster PM V will form an integral component of the multi-role combat brigades as the Army positions itself for future contingencies under Plan Beersheba.

In 1649 England’s King Charles I required his soldiers to attend divine worship twice a day and to be punished for ‘blasphemy, oaths, drunkenness, whoredom and all other scandalous actions.’ ADM asked New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Principal Chaplain Lance Lukin what’s changed.

The government have confirmed the acquisition of a further 214 Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles. Thales Australia is currently manufacturing Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles at its factory in Bendigo. This manufacturing capability, and the skills of the workforce, is an important national security capability, according to a statement from the Defence ministers Smith and Clare.

According to Defence, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are responsible for more than half of the casualties suffered by coalition troops in Afghanistan.

The Government has finally decided to cancel the self propelled element of Land 17. The contenders of Raytheon/Samsung Techwin and KMW respectively with the K-9 and the KMW PzH2000 have been put out of their misery with the decision that has been lingering on the books for far too long.