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Australia spends 1 bln USD on next-generation light armoured vehicles

Xinhua, October 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Australian government will spend 1.05 billion U.S dollars on upgrading its armed forces' light armoured vehicle fleet, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced on Monday.

Speaking to the media from a test facility in outback Australia, Turnbull said 1,000 Hawkei personnel carriers would be manufactured in the Victorian city of Bendigo by Thales Australia.

The prime minister said the decision to choose the Hawkei was the result of "well-targeted" funding, telling the media that the Australian public expect that every defense dollar is spent carefully.

He said the vehicles would protect soldiers and its drivers from the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

"The reality is that IEDs are a feature of the modern battlefield, that type of threat is certainly going to be there and these vehicles are able to operate (effectively) in every terrain," Turnbull told the media on Monday.

Defense Minister Marise Payne also attended the announcement, saying the Hawkei could draw interest from international buyers due to its effective and well-built design.

"This will have a positive and beneficial effect on Australian industry elsewhere," Payne said.

"This vehicle will be a world leader and has potential for the export market. It has very strong utility for a range of activities.

"It is light, has a great degree of mobility and a significant degree of blast protection, meaning it will be very attractive to the international market."

The Hawkei personnel carriers can carry six commandos up to 1, 000 km at a top-speed of 110 km per hour, while offering protection against explosives and landmines.

Meanwhile the parliamentary member for Bendigo, Lisa Chester, said the announcement was a boost for the manufacturing industry in her electorate, telling the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the contract would lock-in more than 200 local jobs for up to a decade.

Thales, with its Hawkei light armoured vehicles, beat two other companies for the defense contract, with the new fleet set to replace the ageing Land Rovers currently used by the Australian army. Endi