The Australian Defence Force and its capability gaps Part 3 #australia #military  #defencenews
Channel: Soldiers Five
Date: 21/04/2024

The decision by the ADF to acquire a self-propelled gun instead of towed artillery is key to plugging the capability gap identified by Janes. 

The war in the Ukraine has clearly shown us that unless you are infantry in a trench surrounded by minefields and supported by UAV’s, ES and Artillery. Mobility is probably your best bet for staying alive.

The initial procurement order of 30 K9’s to be built in Australia was cancelled in 2012, only to be revived in 2019 shortly before the release of the 2020 Defence Strategic Update. 

The AS9 Huntsman is an up-armoured version of the South Korean Hanwha K9A1 155mm self-propelled howitzer, it can fire up to 8 rounds a minute at targets 60 kilometres away and will be directed onto target by Kongsberg’s Odin Fire Control System.

Australia will procure 30 total AS9’s and 15 AS10 ammunition resupply vehicles with the initial three being built in South Korea by Hanwha and the remainder built in Geelong, with the first scheduled for delivery in late 2025.

Leave your thoughts on the AS9 in the comments below and make sure to join me in part four where I’ll cover naval joint fires.