Tanks, howitzers galore: Australian Army embraces influx of new armor

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The Australian Army fired an AS9 Huntsman 155mm self-propelled howitzer on home soil for the first time this month, as crews have begun intensive training on the new artillery system before it rolls into service.

The Huntsman will eventually equip the Australian Army’s 3rd Brigade, a formation undergoing a dramatic transformation as a plethora of new equipment is set to arrive.

Australia hasn’t owned a modern self-propelled howitzer in recent decades, and the weapon extends the range of the army’s tube artillery to around 25 miles. The AS9 is an Australianized version of the K9 from Hanwha Aerospace in South Korea.

Maj. Gen. Jason Blain, the head of land systems at the Australian Ministry of Defence, described the AS9 as a “highly mobile, protected and potent self-propelled howitzer, which gives our troops the best possible chance of completing their missions and returning home safely to their families.”

He added: “As soon as the last round leaves the barrel, the AS9 Huntsman is quickly on the move to its next mission, while ensuring our soldiers remain safely behind armored protection.”

The Australian Army is acquiring 30 AS9 Huntsman as well as 15 associated AS10 ammunition resupply vehicles. Hanwha Defence Australia is manufacturing most of these at a new factory near Melbourne.

Brigadier Ben McLennan, commander of 3rd Brigade, said his unit is transitioning to become a heavy armored formation with new assets like the AS9.

Other new kit heading the brigade’s way includes M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks, AS21 Redback infantry fighting vehicles, several types of Abrams-based combat engineering vehicles, and Boxer 8x8 combat reconnaissance vehicles.

The first tranche of the new AS9 howitzers is set to reach soldiers in 2026, with most slated to be delivered by the end of 2027, McLennan told Defense News.

The brigade of 3,000 personnel has already received its full complement of Abrams tanks.

“We’ve received the first batch of combat engineer vehicles too: the Assault Breaching Vehicle and Joint Assault Bridge. We’ll secure the balance of the engineer platforms over the coming 12-18 months,” McLennan said.

Meanwhile, Redback vehicles, also made by Hanwha, are scheduled for delivery starting in 2027 and lasting through 2029 or 2030.

Those vehicles will be preceded slightly with new Boxers around 2028-2029. McLennan’s brigade is second in line for a Boxer complement after Brisbane-based 7th Brigade gets their fill.

McLennan said the arrival of so much new weaponry in such a short span of time presents “a very steep” learning curve, adding: ”These platforms are a step change for us – cognitively, tactically and physically.”

Despite the deadly dominance of drones and loitering munitions in the Ukraine war, McLennan firmly believes there is still a role for heavy armor on contemporary battlefields.

“What the Ukraine-Russian war also shows us is that, the more things change, the more they stay the same,” he said, pointing to longstanding principles like field leadership, vehicle craft and rifle skills.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect that Australia hasn’t operated howitzers in recent times, versus never. Hat tip to the staff of the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum in Cairns for flagging two previous instances in the 1950s and 1960s.

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

新西兰基督城——本月，澳大利亚陆军首次在本土试射了AS9“猎人”155毫米自行榴弹炮，此前，该炮兵部队已开始对这种新型火炮系统进行强化训练，之后该系统将正式投入使用。

“猎人”最终将装备澳大利亚陆军第3旅，该旅正经历着巨大的变革，大量新装备即将到位。

澳大利亚近几十年来一直没有拥有现代化的自行榴弹炮，而这种武器将陆军管式火炮的射程扩展到约25英里。AS9是韩国韩华航空航天公司K9自行榴弹炮的澳大利亚化版本。

澳大利亚国防部陆地系统负责人杰森·布莱恩少将称 AS9 是一款“高度机动、防护严密且火力强大的自行榴弹炮，它为我们的部队提供了完成任务并安全返回家乡与家人团聚的最佳机会。”

他补充道：“最后一发子弹射出枪膛后，AS9 Huntsman 便会迅速前往下一个任务地点，同时确保我们的士兵始终安全地待在装甲防护之下。”

澳大利亚陆军正在采购30辆AS9“猎人”自行火炮以及15辆配套的AS10弹药补给车。其中大部分由韩华防务澳大利亚公司在墨尔本附近的一家新工厂生产。

第3旅指挥官本·麦克伦南准将表示，他的部队正在转型成为一支重型装甲部队，并配备了AS9等新装备。

该旅即将接收的其他新装备包括 M1A2 SEPv3 艾布拉姆斯坦克、AS21 红背蜘蛛步兵战车、几种基于艾布拉姆斯坦克的战斗工程车辆以及 Boxer 8x8 战斗侦察车。

麦克伦南告诉《防务新闻》，第一批新型 AS9 榴弹炮将于 2026 年交付士兵，大部分计划于 2027 年底交付。

这支拥有3000名人员的旅已经全部接收了艾布拉姆斯坦克。

“我们也收到了第一批战斗工兵车辆：突击破障车和联合突击桥梁。我们将在未来12到18个月内确保剩余工兵平台的交付，”麦克伦南说。

与此同时，同样由韩华汽车生产的 Redback 车辆计划从 2027 年开始交付，一直持续到 2029 年或 2030 年。

这些车辆将在 2028-2029 年左右率先交付新的 Boxer 坦克。在布里斯班的第 7 旅获得 Boxer 坦克后，麦克伦南的旅将是第二个接收 Boxer 坦克的。

麦克伦南表示，在如此短的时间内出现如此多的新武器，带来了“非常陡峭”的学习曲线，并补充说：“这些平台对我们来说是认知、战术和身体上的飞跃。”

尽管无人机和巡飞弹在乌克兰战争中占据了致命优势，但麦克伦南坚信，重型装甲在现代战场上仍然发挥着作用。

“乌克兰-俄罗斯战争也向我们表明，变化越多，不变的也越多，”他说道，并指出了一些长期存在的原则，例如野战领导力、车辆驾驶技能和步枪射击技能。

编者按：本文已更新，以反映澳大利亚近年来未曾使用过榴弹炮，而非从未使用过。感谢凯恩斯澳大利亚装甲炮兵博物馆的工作人员指出，澳大利亚曾在20世纪50年代和60年代使用过榴弹炮。

戈登·阿瑟是《防务新闻》的亚洲特派记者。在香港工作20年后，他现居新西兰。他曾到访亚太地区约20个国家，参加过军事演习和防务展览。