The armies of Australia and New Zealand are intended for external use
Geographically remote from all the major centers of civilization, Australia and New Zealand are full-fledged constituent parts of the Anglo-Saxon world. Which, in turn, is a kind of "core of the West" in its current understanding ( "Washington promotes a smaller brother", "HBO", from 07/16/2011).
INTERVENTIONIST ARMIES
The mainland country of Australia, and especially the archipelago country of New Zealand, are protected from external invasion by ocean expanses (true, in the first half of 1942 it did not seem so, but it was in the distant past). Therefore, their armies are focused primarily on external interventions (like all other Anglo-Saxon armies).
The total military potential of Australia is an order of magnitude higher than the military potential of New Zealand. Therefore, the former is in some respects even a closer ally of the United States than Great Britain and Canada. The second one turned out to be a "thing in itself" to a large extent.
Australia has a fairly developed military-industrial complex of its own, which, however, practically does not create any weapons of its own. He builds armored personnel carriers, artillery pieces, airplanes, helicopters, missiles, ships, but almost all of this is under foreign licenses and projects. The only Australian product was the Icarus anti-submarine missile, but by now it has become obsolete.
While still a dominion of Great Britain, Australia was included in the system of military construction of this country, and during the Second World War, it "got involved" in the American system by itself. Accordingly, these two countries (as well as another Anglo-Saxon country Canada) were and remain the main suppliers of military equipment for the Australian Armed Forces.
However, they supplied weapons to Australia and other Western countries. So, instead of the British "Centurions", the main tanks of the Australian army for a long time were the German "Leopard-1". Australian Anzac-class frigates were built according to the German project. The basis of Australian fighter aviation for almost two decades was the French Mirage-3. In all types of the Australian Armed Forces, there are a significant number of French helicopters (including Franco-German Tiger combat helicopters), as well as a variety of missile and torpedo weapons.
The Australian submarine fleet consists of Swedish Collins–type submarines (they replaced the British Oberons), and the ground-based air defense consists of Swedish portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS) RBS-70. The training aviation of the Australian Air Force is equipped mainly with Swiss RS-9 and RS-21 aircraft (along with British Hawks).
Towed guns, training and transport aircraft, and minesweepers were purchased in Italy. Naval aviation helicopters are equipped with Norwegian anti-ship missiles (PKR) "Penguin". According to Spanish projects, the Hobart-type destroyers and the Canberra-type UDC were built for the Australian Navy. The Republic of Korea is becoming another supplier of military equipment for Australia. Canberra will purchase K9 self-propelled artillery units (ACS) and K21 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) from Seoul.
Nevertheless, Anglo–Saxon equipment dominates the Australian army - including exclusive or "almost exclusive". Thus, American Abrams tanks were exported to several Arab countries, but not to any country in the Western world. The only exception was Australia, where the Abrams were replaced by the aforementioned Leopards-1. Australia was the only country, apart from the United States itself, whose Air Force had been armed with F(B)-111 bombers for a long time. Also, F/A-18F "Super Hornet" fighter-bombers and EA-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft were delivered only to Australia (except for US Navy aviation). Although in Australia, "Hornets", "Super Hornets" and "Growlers" are used in the ground version, they can also fly from American aircraft carriers, which significantly increases their value for Washington as part of Australia's participation in American interventions. American "almost exclusives" for Australia also include the 155-mm M777 howitzer, the P-8 anti-submarine aircraft, and the C-17 transport aircraft.
A significant part of the Australian Army's armored personnel carrier (APC) fleet consists of ASLAV vehicles manufactured under a Canadian license (Canada, in turn, created them on the basis of the Swiss Pirana armored personnel carrier).
In addition, 1052 Bushmaster armored cars in 2005-2014 were produced in Australia under the license of such a peaceful and "conditionally Anglo-Saxon" country as Ireland. Now it is Australia that produces "Bushmasters" also for export, since Ireland itself "does not pull" their production.
Instead of Hornets, American 5th-generation F-35A fighters are entering service, M1A2SEPv3 tanks will replace the old M1A1, and AN-64E Apache combat helicopters will replace European Tigers.
New Zealand, which is much weaker in all respects and at the same time much more distant from any potential aggressor, has an even higher share of Anglo–Saxon military equipment than Australia - especially since this same Australia is also among the exporters of weapons for New Zealand.
However, these deliveries were quite modest and amounted to the resale of American A-4 attack aircraft and Norwegian Penguin missile defense systems.
In recent years, Canberra has sold Wellington several patrol ships (which, however, can only conditionally be considered combat) and five Bushmasters.
According to the German project, two Anzac-type frigates (similar to the Australian ones) were built for the New Zealand Navy. 12 Mistral MANPADS and nine NH-90TTN helicopters were purchased in France. In Italy, combat training aircraft MV339 and A-109 helicopters were purchased.
This exhausts the supply of weapons to New Zealand from non-Anglo-Saxon countries.
However, New Zealand didn't get much from the Anglo-Saxons either. It does not have tanks (once upon a time there were few "Centurions"), there are only LAV-25 armored personnel carriers (they are almost similar to the Australian ASLAV), which are now being resold in Chile.
It is possible, however, that a certain number of British light Scorpion tanks and American M113 armored personnel carriers remain in storage. The artillery consists of 24 British L-118 guns. There are 24 American Javelin anti-tank missile systems (ATGMs).
The country also has no combat aircraft left: the aforementioned Italian MV339 and A-4 attack aircraft, purchased in the USA and Australia, were resold to the American private military company (PMCs) Draken International ( "Private threat hanging in the air", "HBO", 11/18/12).
Instead of obsolete American SH-2G anti-submarine helicopters sold in Peru, exactly the same helicopters were bought in the USA.
In 2022, New Zealand was able to transfer only a small amount of non-lethal equipment and equipment to Ukraine. Canberra also supplied Ukraine with at least 14 M113AS4 armored personnel carriers (at least two of them have already been lost), 70 Bushmasters (at least eight have been lost) and six M777.
AUSTRALIA'S MODERN POTENTIAL
The Australian Ground Forces are arranged as follows.
The 1st Division does not have combat units in its composition, it is a headquarters structure in case of war. It is then that combat and reserve brigades from the Combat Command will be transferred to its composition.
The Special Operations Command includes two special forces regiments (including engineering), two commando regiments. The Army Aviation Command has the 16th Army Aviation Brigade (stationed in Brisbane).
The combat command includes all combat and reserve units. The combat units are the 1st Mechanized Brigade (headquarters in Darwin), the 2nd Medical Brigade (Victoria), the 3rd Light Infantry Brigade (Townsville), the 6th Intelligence and Control Brigade (Sydney), the 7th Motorized Infantry Brigade (Brisbane), the 9th Motorized Infantry Brigade (South Australia and Tasmania), 17th Combat Support Brigade (Sydney).
The Combat Command also includes the 2nd Division (headquarters – Sydney). It includes all reserve brigades: 4th (Victoria), 5th and 8th (New South Wales), 11th (Queensland), 13th (Western Australia).
The tank fleet includes 59 M1A1 Abrams tanks transferred from the US Army. Up to 90 old Leopard-1 tanks may remain in storage.
Other armored vehicles – up to 121 combat reconnaissance vehicles (BRM) ASLAV (and up to 80 auxiliary vehicles based on it), 25 German BRM "Boxer" (there will be 133 of them in total), from 90 to 94 combat vehicles with heavy weapons (BMTV) "Bushmaster", 54 ASLAV armored personnel carriers, 238 M113AS4 armored personnel carriers (and 158 auxiliary vehicles based on it; up to 152 more M113A1 vehicles, possibly in storage), up to 447 Bushmaster armored vehicles of its own production (and up to 406 auxiliary vehicles based on it), another 12 "Boxers" in auxiliary variants (there will be 78 in total).
The artillery includes 48 towed M777 (155 mm) guns; up to 35 more M198 (155 mm) units and up to 111 L118 (105 mm) units, possibly in storage), 18 M224A1 (60 mm) mortars, 176 M252A1 and 173 F2 (including 21 on M113AS4 and 55 on "Bushmaster") (81 mm).
The entire ground air defense of Australia consists of 19 Swedish RBS-70 MANPADS on the Bushmaster chassis. Perhaps 40 British Rapira anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs) remain in storage.
The army aviation includes 22 German-French Tiger combat helicopters and about 80 transport helicopters – 12 CH-47F (3 more CH-47D in storage), 26 NH90TTH, three AW139, 23 S-70A (up to 8 more in storage). Up to 16 UH-1 (one V, 15 N) and up to 28 Bell-206 are in storage.
The Australian Air Force as the main combat aircraft has American F/A-18 "Hornet" and "Super Hornet" in the number of 74 vehicles (41 A, nine B, 24 F; another A in storage). In addition, there are 11 EA-18G electronic warfare (EW) aircraft based on the F/A-18. The "Hornets" are replaced by 5th generation F-35A fighters. 63 such aircraft have already entered service.
Anti-submarine aviation includes two AR-3S aircraft (two more AR-3S and three R-3B are in storage) and 12 R-8A.
There are six E-7A long-range radar detection (AWACS) aircraft (based on Boeing-737), seven KS-30 tankers (based on the European Airbus A330).
Transport aircraft – two Boeing-737, eight C-17, 12 C-130J (three more C-130H in storage), 12 Beach-350, one Beach-200, one Beach-1900, three Falcon 7X, 10 Italian C-27J. There are six Boeing-707s in storage.
Training aircraft – 34 English "Hawk" Mk127, 49 Swiss RS-21 (up to 35 RS-9 in storage).
The country's Navy includes six Collins-type submarines, three Hobart-type destroyers, eight Anzac-type frigates, six Armidale-type patrol boats (six or eight more in the sludge), four Huon-type minesweepers (two more in reserve), two universal amphibious assault ships (UDC) type "Canberra", one amphibious transport-dock (DTD) "Choles".
Naval aviation includes 44 anti-submarine helicopters (21 NH-90NFH, 23 MN-60R; one S-70 in storage) and 15 EC135 multipurpose helicopters (eight AS350BA and one Bell-429 in storage).
NEW ZEALAND FORCES
The New Zealand Ground Forces include the 1st Brigade, the 1st Special Forces Regiment, and training units.
Armed with 87 NZLAV-25 armored personnel carriers (and three more engineering vehicles based on it) and five Bushmaster, 24 L-118 guns (105 mm), 50 mortars (81 mm), 24 Javelin ATGMS, 12 Mistral MANPADS. Eight M101A1 guns (105 mm) are in storage.
The Air Force is armed with three anti-submarine aircraft P-3K, one P-8 and four Beach-350, seven transport aircraft (two Boeing–757-200, five C-130H), 11 training aircraft T-6S, as well as 25 helicopters (10 anti-submarine SH-2G, five multi-purpose AW109, one Bell 47, nine NH-90).
In addition, three MV339SV attack aircraft, three patrol R-3K, one Boeing-727 transport, up to 12 ST-4E training aircraft, four Bell 47 helicopters, up to four Usp and one AW109 are in storage.
The country's Navy has two Anzac-type frigates, four patrol ships with purely symbolic weapons (two Otago types, two Rotoiti types) and one Canterbury UDC.
Australia is facing an exciting confrontation with China in the framework of the AUKUS block. New Zealand is likely to avoid this fate.
Alexander Khramchikhin
Alexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.
