With AC/DC’s Back in Black blaring, and large macho-looking font exclaiming “how great these rigs are”, Ukraine is ramping up its attempts to get Australia’s attention.
Key points:
- Ukraine has called on Australia to send its Hawkei protected mobility vehicles to the battlefield
- The light armoured four-wheel-drive is designed and built at the Thales factory in Bendigo
- The vehicle would complement the larger Australian-made Bushmaster already being used in Ukraine
After the effectiveness and popularity of the Australian-made Bushmaster armoured personal carriers, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has released a social media video calling for its new military “crush”.
“Our soldiers absolutely love Australian Bushmasters. But now they have a new crush: the Hawkei,” the defence ministry tweeted.
“These two would be a perfect match on the battlefield.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, has also made repeated requests for the Hawkei vehicles.
He said they will not only help save soldiers’ lives, but the war will provide a testing ground for the new piece of equipment.
What is a Hawkei?
Designed and built at the Thales factory in Bendigo, Victoria, the Hawkei is a light armoured four-wheel-drive patrol vehicle.
It only recently went into service in Australia, after the government spent $1.3 billion on 1,100 Hawkeis and 1,058 associated trailers to replace the Army’s ageing Land Rover fleet.
It was initially developed as a armoured support vehicle, but evolved to include light armoured fighting vehicle features.
It carries up to five personnel, is highly mobile and — at seven tonnes — is light enough to be “slung on a CH-47 helicopter”, Ian Langford, a retired military officer and national security expert, said.
“You can move to different places when you need to.”
One of its key capabilities is that it can operate command and control networks over large distances.
It also has a “protected mobility combat system” which provides protection from blasts, while offering significant striking ability.
“It’s the Toyota HiLux of protected mobility systems,” Mr Langford said.
The US equivalent would be the Humvee, but Mr Langford said Hawkeis were designed to have more emphasis on the “survivability of soldiers”.
Mr Myroshnychenko said there are several reasons why Hawkeis would be “very helpful” for Ukraine.
“Firstly, they’re very good vehicles, [they] really save lives,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
“They could help Ukraine fend off the enemy.”
In terms of mobility, Mr Langford described Hawkeis as “a bit of a Swiss Army Knife”.
“It can be used for tasks that include utility, reconnaissance, liaison, and command and control,” he said.
How do they differ from Bushmasters?
Australia has so far given Ukraine 90 Bushmasters as part of its $475 million military assistance package.
The 15-tonne four-wheel-drive vehicles are designed for all environments and are blast-resistant.
They were used to drive back Russian forces from the Kharkiv region in north-eastern Ukraine, and are reportedly playing a role in the battle for Bakhmut transporting infantry and evacuation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Bushmasters have “performed masterfully” on the battlefields.
“We associate Australia with Bushmasters not kangaroos and koalas,” Dr Yuriy Sak, advisor to Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, said at an Australian Strategic Policy Institute event last week.
Loading…
The main difference between Bushmasters and Hawkeis is size.
Hawkeis can perform similar tasks as the Bushmaster, but not at the same scale.
Bushmasters can carry mortars and heavier weapons and sustain itself for a period of up to three days.
“A Bushmaster is a protected mobility vehicle that can carry up to a section, which has up to nine people, including the driver and gunner,” Mr Langford said.
As a smaller tactical vehicle, Hawkeis are seen as being complementary to Bushmasters.
“It really is that vehicle that provides the ability for land forces to be able to move, as well as be able to communicate both in a network but also in a manoeuvre context,” Mr Langford said.
Is Ukraine likely to get them?
There were reports last year that the the delivery of some Hawkeis to the ADF had been delayed over problems with the brakes.
Defence had quietly started rejecting the vehicles, but later reached an agreement with Thales to resolve the issue.
Mr Langford said on Thursday Hawkeis are “on the road” to full operational capability certification.
“But like all major programs, when they come into service they always have teething problems and they are working through that,” he said.
“Australia sets a pretty high standard for the safety conduct of these sorts of machines, so I don’t think there are any issues that would stop them from potentially being exporters in that context.”
Mr Myroshnychenko suggested that Ukraine could be used as a testing ground for Hawkeis in a war environment.
“This is a new piece of equipment which Australia has, we’ll be able to provide feedback,” he said.
The ambassador said discussions were continuing with the Australian government on what else could be provided this year.
“It’s not only about the shopping list, Hawkei is one of the items we request and many other things that Australia could support to Ukraine,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.
“What is important is that that support continues.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong did not confirm whether Australia would send Hawkeis, but said the government “will consider any requests from Ukraine”.
“The point about Ukraine … it is a long way away,” Ms Wong told ABC News Breakfast.
“But the principle is it matters deeply to Australia and the region.”
Even if Australia were to answer Ukraine’s calls, it would all come down to capacity, Mr Langford said.
“The manufacturing of these vehicles all comes out of Bendigo, so the question would be: How quickly can you build these things off the line?
“And if you’re going to give them now, then they’re going to come out of army stocks and I’d hazard a guess to say the Army needs all the vehicles it can get at the moment.”
In August last year, Thales axed 29 jobs at its Bendigo facility after the contract to build 1,100 Hawkeis ended.
At the time, Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters said the factory was at risk of closure if Thales didn’t secure another defence contract.
