(Source: US Defense Security Cooperation Agency; issued July 17, 2008)
Australia will become the fourth operator of the M-777 lightweight howitzer, after Canada (above), the US Army and the US Marine Corps. (Canadian DND photo)WASHINGTON --- The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Australia of M777A2 155mm Light-Weight Howitzers as well as associated equipment and services.
The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $248 million.
The Government of Australia has requested a possible sale of 57 M777A2 155mm Light-Weight Howitzers, 57 AN/VRC-91F Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS), integration, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, maintenance, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $248 million.
Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific. The strategic location of this political and economic power contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic stability in the region. Australia’s efforts in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in Iraq and in Afghanistan have had a significant impact on regional political and economic stability and have served U.S. national security interests. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives and facilitates burden-sharing with our allies.
This proposed sale would greatly contribute to Australia’s military capability by making it a more sustainable coalition force to support the Global War on Terror. Australia will use these new M777A2 155mm Howitzers to protect its deployed troops, and give them the ability to operate in hazardous conditions. Australia currently operates the 100mm [actually 105mm—Ed.] Hamel Howitzer and the 155mm M198 Howitzer and will have no difficulty absorbing these howitzers into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not affect the basic military balance in the region.
The prime contractors will be: BAE Land Systems in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and ITT in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
The proposed sale requires engineering technical support for approximately two U.S. government representatives and five contractor representatives for one year.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. This notice of a potential sale is required by law; it does not mean that the sale has been concluded.
Interesting. Since the M-777 is the only contender that bidded for the towed requrement of Land 17 it is no surprise it is is being bought, but the numbers quoted is interesting. From memory the requirement was for only 30-36 systems, so 'up to 57' is surprising. Either the new government is looking at buying more guns than the last government (unlikely), or this buy may eat into the numbers of SPH being bought. Or more likely it is just they are announcing the max possible to be bought depending on what decisions are made with regards to Land 17.
I also found this line to be interesting 'Australia will use these new M777A2 155mm Howitzers to protect its deployed troops, and give them the ability to operate in hazardous conditions'. Australia currently has no artillery deployed overseas, and has not announced we are going to deploy them, so that is very optimistic statement. Do these blokes know something I don't?
- Sarge
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Russia should have thrown its name into the hat, M389 155mm is in the same class, guided shells are also making their way on to the scene. Much cheaper, the drawback is that you need a crew of 7 compared to 5 for the M777.
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That is true, but it would get our foot in the door. The Greeks buy our products, why shouldnt the Australians at least have a choice at what to pick. Besides the ausairpower site seems to fancy Russian hardware
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Quote:Besides the ausairpower site seems to fancy Russian hardware
Most don't take that site too seriously.
"Korea has not been the only battle ground since the end of the Second World War. Men have fought and died in Malaya, in Greece, in the Philippines, in Algeria and Cuba, and Cyprus and almost continuously on the Indo-Chinese Peninsula. No nuclear weapons have been fired. No massive nuclear retaliation has been considered appropriate. This is another type of war, new in its intensity, ancient in its origin--war by guerrillas, subversives, insurgents, assassins, war by ambush instead of by combat; by infiltration, instead of aggression, seeking victory by eroding and exhausting the enemy instead of engaging him. It is a form of warfare uniquely adapted to what has been strangely called 'wars of liberation,' to undermine the efforts of new and poor countries to maintain the freedom that they have finally achieved. It preys on economic unrest and ethnic conflicts. It requires in those situations where we must counter it, and these are the kinds of challenges that will be before us in the next decade if freedom is to be saved, a whole new kind of strategy, a wholly different kind of force, and therefore a new and wholly different kind of military training."-President Kennedy's Address at Graduation Exercises of the U.S. Military Academy, 1962
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"The reason I'll be released is the same reason you think I'll be convicted. I do rub shoulders with some of the most vile, sadistic men calling themselves leaders today. But some of these men are the enemies of your enemies. And while the biggest arms dealer in the world is your boss - the President of the United States, who ships more merchandise in a day than I do in a year - sometimes it's embarrassing to have his fingerprints on the guns. Sometimes he needs a freelancer like me to supply forces he can't be seen supplying. So. You call me evil, but unfortunately for you, I'm a necessary evil."-Yuri Orlov, Lord of War
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"Of all the weapons in the vast soviet arsenal, nothing was more profitable than Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947. More commonly known as the AK-47, or Kalashnikov. It's the world's most popular assault rifle. A weapon all fighters love. An elegantly simple 9 pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood. It doesn't break, jam, or overheat. It'll shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand. It's so easy, even a child can use it; and they do. The Soviets put the gun on a coin. Mozambique put it on their flag. Since the end of the Cold War, the Kalashnikov has become the Russian people's greatest export. After that comes vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists. One thing is for sure, no one was lining up to buy their cars."-Yuri Orlov, Lord of War
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It's his resume that has been put into question. He uses scare tactics and exaggeration to try to get his points across.
"Korea has not been the only battle ground since the end of the Second World War. Men have fought and died in Malaya, in Greece, in the Philippines, in Algeria and Cuba, and Cyprus and almost continuously on the Indo-Chinese Peninsula. No nuclear weapons have been fired. No massive nuclear retaliation has been considered appropriate. This is another type of war, new in its intensity, ancient in its origin--war by guerrillas, subversives, insurgents, assassins, war by ambush instead of by combat; by infiltration, instead of aggression, seeking victory by eroding and exhausting the enemy instead of engaging him. It is a form of warfare uniquely adapted to what has been strangely called 'wars of liberation,' to undermine the efforts of new and poor countries to maintain the freedom that they have finally achieved. It preys on economic unrest and ethnic conflicts. It requires in those situations where we must counter it, and these are the kinds of challenges that will be before us in the next decade if freedom is to be saved, a whole new kind of strategy, a wholly different kind of force, and therefore a new and wholly different kind of military training."-President Kennedy's Address at Graduation Exercises of the U.S. Military Academy, 1962
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"The reason I'll be released is the same reason you think I'll be convicted. I do rub shoulders with some of the most vile, sadistic men calling themselves leaders today. But some of these men are the enemies of your enemies. And while the biggest arms dealer in the world is your boss - the President of the United States, who ships more merchandise in a day than I do in a year - sometimes it's embarrassing to have his fingerprints on the guns. Sometimes he needs a freelancer like me to supply forces he can't be seen supplying. So. You call me evil, but unfortunately for you, I'm a necessary evil."-Yuri Orlov, Lord of War
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"Of all the weapons in the vast soviet arsenal, nothing was more profitable than Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947. More commonly known as the AK-47, or Kalashnikov. It's the world's most popular assault rifle. A weapon all fighters love. An elegantly simple 9 pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood. It doesn't break, jam, or overheat. It'll shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand. It's so easy, even a child can use it; and they do. The Soviets put the gun on a coin. Mozambique put it on their flag. Since the end of the Cold War, the Kalashnikov has become the Russian people's greatest export. After that comes vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists. One thing is for sure, no one was lining up to buy their cars."-Yuri Orlov, Lord of War
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Yawn... I hope you have an impressive resume to dismiss his site.
Pfft, have a look at Carlo Kopp's resume first. The man is an electrical engineer specialising in mobile phones that has absolutley no military experience whatsoever. He has no access to sensitive/classified information about any aircraft he writes about. How this makes him 'Australia's leading military analyst', as he described himself once, is beyond me. He is no doubt an intelligent man, but he misrepresents facts and just plain lies so often in his articles it is ludicrous. There is a reason why he is laughing stock in Australian military circles, and hardly any respectable magazines will publish his crap any more.
His concern about some of Australias neighbors is well founded when their defense spending is rising every year.
So what, Australia's budget is rising far faster than any of our neighbours. More to the point, exactly which one of our neighbours are we supposed to be scared of? Indonesia? Malaysia? Singapore? Indonesia has bought a dozen Su-30s yeah, but they can't afford weapons for them, can't afford proper training or maintenance, have no AEW&C, no tankers etc etc. The rest of their air force doesn't work - they can't afford to fly their C-130s, and they only have 4 flyable F-16s. Their navy has no modern ships and can't afford fuel to put to sea, and their army is entirely designed for internal security. Malaysia is not much better, and Singapore is a close ally. Real scary opponents there...
Carlo Kopps also uses the threat of China attacking us with Backfires to justify his ideas. A few problems with that though - mainly, Russia has continually refused to sell Backfires to China, which puts a pretty good hole in that theory. Also, why would China attack us anyway? There are far bigger threats to China than little old Australia, and they currently buy huge amounts of resources from us.
- Sarge
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Has there been any defence cuts by the Labour boys as of yet? Maybe some rumblings/rumours around the camps or is it business as usual? It looks like it has actually gone up by 2 billion from the previous year.
Also, do you think for the amount of money we spend we actually are lacking in some areas? Being realistic some of the former acquisitions have been questionable (the Abram's), some of the current ships we deploy (especially the horror stories of the upgrades) etc.
I ask because is this media hype up's or is this some problem that needs to be addressed?
Siege of Tobruk - One German POW said: "I cannot understand you Australians. In Poland, France, and Belgium, once the tanks got through the soldiers took it for granted that they were beaten. But you are like demons. The tanks break through and your infantry still keep fighting." Rommel wrote of seeing "a batch of some fifty or sixty Australian prisoners ... marched off close behind us—immensely big and powerful men, who without question represented an elite formation of the British Empire, a fact that was also evident in battle."
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A bloke I know in the RAAF reserve told me today that the govt told the defence force to make a load of savings. All thats happened to him though is that they changed the light bulbs in his office to more efficiant ones (he is an admin clerk).
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