Defence News

The Royal Australian Navy’s fleet is expanding and will be able to further sustain its edge at sea with the opening of the first of four regional maintenance centres in Cairns this week. NORSTA Maritime was announced as the regional maintenance provider to deliver the Regional Maintenance Centre North East in Cairns. Speaking at the […]

The Australian Defence Force is supporting the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) as it coordinates Australia’s support Tonga following the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano on Saturday, January 15.  On January 17 and 18, two Air Force P-8A Poseidon flights and one C-130J Hercules departed RAAF Base Amberley and RAAF […]

Sovereign sustainability has taken a leap, with No. 81 Wing accepting and successfully expending the first Australian manufactured BLU-111(AUS)B/B. The 500lb high-explosive warhead was delivered to No. 3 Squadron at RAAF Base Williamtown last year, where it was configured by armament technicians as a Paveway II laser guided bomb before being loaded onto the F-35A […]

Enhancements to the Australian Defence Force’s combat capability will be delivered by the Government through the purchase of evolved Abrams tanks and combat engineering vehicles. Minister for Defence Peter Dutton announced a $3.5 billion investment in the main battle tank upgrade (LAND 907 Phase 2) and combat engineering vehicle (LAND 8160 Phase 1) projects. Army […]

HMAS Warramunga and Indian Navy warships INS Shivalik and INS Kadmatt conducted high-end maritime warfare training off the coast of the Northern Territory during this month’s AUSINDEX 21.  This was the fourth iteration of the biennial maritime series between Australia and India and the first to be held in the Top End. India hosted AUSINDEX in 2019.  RAN officer of the watch […]

HMA Ships Childers, Launceston, Glenelg and Wollongong took the opportunity to practise the warfighting aspect of their roles in a recent exercise. Held in and around their home port of Darwin at the end of August, the exercise also built on their ability to operate in-company. The Armidale-class patrol boats conducted surface gunnery, close-quarters manoeuvring, degraded navigation, formation pilotages and anchorages […]

The Royal Australian Air Force has successfully completed Exercise Red Flag Alaska 21-3, a two-week bilateral training exercise with the United States Air Force. The exercise, held from August 12 – 27, was an advanced large force employment activity aimed to optimise the integration of capabilities and deepen the relationship of coalition forces. RAAF Task […]

As a fire raged in a historic building in the north-western NSW town of Bourke, visiting Australian Defence Force members were able to offer immediate assistance. The ADF is on the ground as part of a whole-of-government response to the COVID-19 situation across the state. On September 1, NSW Police asked available ADF members to […]

More than 2000 troops from the Australian Defence Force and Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) have completed a high-end live-fire warfighting exercise at Bradshaw Field Training Area in the Northern Territory. Commander 1st Brigade Brigadier Ash Collingburn said Exercise Koolendong confirmed the ability of United States and Australian forces to quickly respond to crises in the […]

The longstanding bilateral defence partnership between Singapore and Australia was again on display during Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2021 (IPE21). The cooperative activity, held on September 1, continued a long history of exercising together, which has built trust, precision and technical skill.  This year’s activity combined elements from Mine Warfare Team 16, Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), […]