The Australian Army already operates a small number of M88A2s, and these crane-equipped heavy recovery vehicles are key to being able to recover damaged or broken down armoured vehicles under fire, and for supporting field maintenance. All of these vehicles are based on the M1A1 chassis and running gear, but have the gun turret replaced with different equipment. (ADF)Īpart from the new MBTs, the armoured vehicle package also includes six more M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicles, 29 M1150 Assault Breacher vehicles, and 17 M1074 joint assault bridge systems (JABS) which are being acquired through the Project LAND 8160 Phase 1 Combat Engineering Vehicles requirement. “The M1A2 Abrams will incorporate the latest developments in Australian sovereign defence capabilities, including command, control, communications, computers and intelligence systems, and benefit from the intended manufacture of tank ammunition in Australia.” Australian Army M88A2 Hercules heavy recovery vehicles. “Teamed with the infantry fighting vehicle, combat engineering vehicles, and self-propelled howitzers, the new Abrams will give our soldiers the best possibility of success and protection from harm,” Minister Dutton said in a January 10 release. Improvements over the M1A1 include the addition of the KONGSBERG Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station Low Profile (CROWS-LP), an auxiliary power unit (APU) with increased power generation, advanced sensor and communications displays, a new vehicle health management system (VHMS), added ballistic protection and advanced armour, and an improved forward looking infrared (FLIR) sensor. The M1A2 SEPv3 entered service with the US Army in 2020. The M1A2 SEPv3s (Systems Enhancement Package) will replace the Australian Army’s current fleet of 59 M1A1 AIM2 Abrams’ MBTs in service. The new vehicles will be remanufactured from stored former US Army M1A1 Abrams hulls, 160 of which have been acquired for the Australian requirement. Originally flagged to cost $2.17bn, the now A$3.5bn order comes after the April 2021 approval of the potential sale by the US State Department. Defence Minister Peter Dutton has confirmed the acquisition of 75 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams main battle tanks (MBT) and 52 Abrams-based armoured engineering and support vehicles for the Australian Army under Projects LAND 907 Phase 2 and LAND 8160 Phase 1.

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