Project Waler: Australian AFV Procurement
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Questions and Answers

Who won the Battle of Hastings?

  • William, the Duke of Normandy (correct)
  • Harold Godwinson
  • The English army
  • The Norman-French army
  • What was the goal of Project Waler?

  • To replace the Army's M113s with new light AFVs (correct)
  • To build the vehicles in Australia
  • To acquire new battlefield helicopters
  • To increase self-reliance in defence
  • When was William crowned king?

  • 14 October 1066
  • Christmas Day 1066 (correct)
  • 4 October 1066
  • 4 December 1066
  • How did the Australian Government respond to Project Waler?

    <p>Cancelled the project due to cost and capability concerns</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the Battle of Hastings?

    <p>The Norman-French army was defeated</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the purpose of the Department of Defence's annual report for the 1981-1982 financial year?

    <p>To outline the government's policy of increasing self-reliance in defence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When was Project Waler authorised by Minister for Defence James Killen?

    <p>1980</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the Department of Defence recommend in May 1985?

    <p>To defer Project Waler by five years</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    • The Australian Government placed orders for 817 or 840 M113 armoured personnel carriers in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

    • The goal of Project Waler was to replace the Army's M113s with more capable armoured fighting vehicles.

    • After initial scoping work, proposals were sought from companies during 1981. These proposals were submitted in 1982, and further studies were undertaken in 1983.

    • While the scoping studies demonstrated that it would be feasible to build the vehicles in Australia, a planned tender to acquire them was not issued.

    • Instead, Project Waler was cancelled by the Australian Government in July 1985 due to concerns over the cost and capabilities of the proposed vehicles.

    • The M113s used by the Army's armoured reconnaissance units were replaced by ASLAV wheeled armoured fighting vehicles that were similar to the designs considered under Project Waler.

    • Most of the remaining fleet of M113s were upgraded.

    • Project Waler is sometimes cited as an example of a mismanaged Australian defence procurement process, with commentators noting that it had been over-ambitious and not enough emphasis was placed on keeping costs down.

    • The M113 upgrade project was also unsuccessful, with the resultant vehicles being unfit for combat, and the Australian Government launched a new project in 2018 to replace them.

    • The Army began considering acquiring Australian-built light armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) to replace its M113s in 1973, but formal work to explore this option did not commence until 1980.

    • Project Waler was authorised by Minister for Defence James Killen in April 1980. It aimed to replace the M113s with new light AFVs that were optimised for operations in Australia.

    • The first of these vehicles were to enter service in the mid-1990s.

    • The project was named after the Waler horses that had been used by Australian Light Horse units in the Middle East during World War I.

    • There was not universal support for Project Waler within the Army. Some elements of the service believed that acquiring new battlefield helicopters was a higher priority than replacing the M113s.

    • The government saw Project Waler as a significant opportunity for the Australian manufacturing industry to produce technologically advanced military equipment.

    • Building the vehicles in Australia was also considered to be an important element of the government's "policy of increasing self-reliance in defence".

    • Studies undertaken by the Department of Defence concluded that the Australian defence industry was capable of designing and producing the vehicles as long as some technologies were transferred from overseas.

    • The Department of Defence's annual report for the 1981–1982 financial year stated that "as long as practical" the Project Waler vehicles "are to be designed, developed and made in Australia".

    • Due to its strategic importance, Project Waler was also identified in 1983 as a procurement exercise where the government was willing to pay a premium for manufacturing the vehicles in Australia rather than importing them.

    • Project Waler was a feasibility study to develop and produce Australian-made AFVs.

    • The first phase of Project Waler began in September 1981 and 14 companies submitted proposals.

    • The three companies that were selected to further develop their designs were Australian branch of EASAMS, Evans Deakin Industries, and Goninan.

    • The Army favoured the designs which fully met its requirements, even though they would be the most expensive to produce.

    • In 1981, the Department of Defence began feasibility studies into the feasibility of manufacturing new armoured vehicles in Australia.

    • In 1984, the studies concluded that it would be feasible to build the vehicles in Australia.

    • In December 1984, the Minister for Defence, Gordon Scholes, announced that the studies confirmed that it would be feasible to build the vehicles in Australia.

    • In May 1985, the Department of Defence recommended that Project Waler be deferred by five years.

    • This was based on an assessment by the department that the Army's plans to obtain a large number of armoured vehicles were ill-founded.

    • Minister for Defence Kim Beazley shared this view, as he believed that the Army needed new armoured vehicles.

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    Test your knowledge about Project Waler, a significant Australian defence procurement project aimed at replacing the M113 armoured personnel carriers with more capable armoured fighting vehicles. Discover the history, challenges, and outcomes of this ambitious project.

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