The Australian Defense Force has earned the reputation of being one of the most respected and formidable armed forces of modern times and this is simply due to the members of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
As Australia pauses to remember and thank those who served and sacrificed for our country today, we wanted to explore some of the vehicle fleets our servicemen and women rely on to safely carry out their missions.
The ADF is in the privileged position of being able to choose from the very best equipment from our allies around the world – but we also modify it to suit our needs.
With Daily Sparkz you can save thousands on a new car. Click Here to get a great deal.
If nothing is fit for purpose, our local industry’s talented pool of engineers, scientists and manufacturers will design and manufacture something suitable.
Here you can see some of the vehicles used by the Australian Defense Force.
DAGOR
Designed and manufactured by Polaris, the Deployable Advanced Ground Off-Road Vehicle is like a grown-up version of a side-by-side (UTV), weighing around 2000 kg, but using many off-the-shelf, off-the-shelf parts.
This also includes the powertrain, which is a diesel engine that can run on various fuels – although exact specifications are not published.
The DAGOR can accommodate up to nine soldiers and can be configured in 48 different weapon configurations. The main advantage is that the vehicle can be quickly deployed with a variety of military aircraft and helicopters.
Mercedes Benz G Wagon
It has been almost 20 years since the ADF announced that the Land Rover ‘Perentie’ would be replaced by the Mercedes-Benz G-Class – with the German carmaker reportedly the only carmaker to have submitted a tender at the time.
The ADF was provided with a total of 10 variants of the G-Wagon, including three- and five-door wagons, single and double cabs and six-wheel wagons – the first time that Mercedes-Benz had built a military 6×6 vehicle since World War II.
Closely related to the civilian G300 CDI Professional sold in Australia between 2015 and 2018, the ADF G-Wagon is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine producing an estimated 135kW and 400Nm, mated to a five-speed low-range automatic transmission.
While the transition to the G-Wagon took longer than planned due to several issues with the new Mercedes-Benz fleet, the previous Land Rover Perenties have become a popular choice for buyers looking for a reliable and understated off-roader.
The Perentie was based on the Land Rover 110 and 130, but featured an improved frame and suspension and was powered by a 3.9 liter four-cylinder Isuzu diesel engine – with an additional turbocharger for the six-wheel drive vehicles.
Supacat
The British-made Supacat HMT Extenda is used by, among others, the Special Air Service Regiment and the 2nd Commando Regiment for long-range missions requiring protection against IEDs.
The Extenda is available with up to six wheels and uses a modular platform so the chassis can be easily manufactured in different configurations.
A five-speed automatic transmission is fitted to a Cummins-supplied 6.7-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine producing 136kW and 700Nm, with a low-range gearbox and either limited-slip differentials or limited-slip differentials for off-road capability.
Hawkeye
Manufactured in Bendigo, Victoria from 2016, the Hawkei was designed as a light armored patrol vehicle to replace some Perentie variants. Almost 1100 vehicles were used by the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force.
The Hawkei, which weighs more than seven tons, has a 3.2-liter turbodiesel six-cylinder engine from Steyr that transmits 200 kW and 610 Nm to all four wheels via a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and a two-speed transfer case.
With a range of 600 km and a maximum speed of 130 km/h, the Hawkei was designed as a mobile combat platform with various weapon loadouts available.
However, the Hawkei suffered from several controversies over its time – both regarding its procurement and its mechanical reliability.
Bushmaster
Also manufactured by Thales at its Bendigo factory, the Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle is an all-terrain armored troop carrier with multiple weapons systems.
The Bushmaster was originally designed only to withstand small arms fire, but has proven to be extremely effective against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ballistic weapons, providing greater protection than ASLAVs and M113s in certain circumstances.
Australia has so far provided Ukraine with more than 120 Bushmasters. Soldiers from Ukraine praised the Bushmaster’s effectiveness against attacks while praising its comfort and performance.
This is partly because the Bushmaster was designed for use in the Australian outback and therefore has highly effective air conditioning.
Powered by a Caterpillar-sourced 7.2-litre turbo-diesel six-cylinder engine producing 224kW and 1166Nm, driving the wheels via a ZF six-speed automatic transmission, the Bushmaster is now also in service with militaries from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Fiji and Jamaica.
RMMV HX
Manufactured by Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles, the HX is a heavy-duty rigid vehicle that fulfills a variety of missions for the ADF.
It is estimated that around 3,600 trucks have been delivered to the Australian military since 2013 in configurations ranging from 4×4 to 10×10 – all powered by MAN’s 10.5-litre turbodiesel six-cylinder engine producing 328kW and 2,100Nm.
As one of the larger tactical vehicles in the ADF fleet, the RMMV HX has an operational range of approximately 800 km when loaded, with a total mass of 44 tons.
MORE: Calls of Duty – How the Ford Ranger Super Duty could be put into practice
