New night-fighting equipment for ADF gets green light

The Australian Defence Force is about to get the most up to date night-fighting equipment available after the Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne and the Minister for Defence Marise Payne today announced that the project had been given the green light.

FILE PHOTO: Special Forces Task Group members fire vehicle-mounted heavy weapons at night on a range at a forward operating base in Afghanistan. File photo – 2005 –  by Sergeant John Carroll.

Mr Pyne said the first tranche of night-fighting equipment would see our military supplied with new state-of-the-art night-vision goggles, helmet mounts, head harnesses and laser aiming devices.

Contracts worth $307 million were signed with L-3 Oceania, which included the cost of equipment and ongoing support.

“These night-vision goggles will be provided to Army close combatants, such as special forces and infantry, as well as general combatants, such as drivers, medics and elements of the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force,” Minister Pyne said.

“These high-tech goggles are leading-edge and will give our fighting men and women greater capability in the field.

“While Australia doesn’t produce this standard of night-vision goggle, they will be maintained locally,” he said.

Minister Payne said experience over the past decade had highlighted the importance of night-vision technology in modern warfare.

“Deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq have proven the importance of being able to effectively fight at night,” Minister Payne said.

“This new equipment will ensure the ADF retains its night-fighting edge against the enemy, a critical advantage on the battlefield,” she said.

Find an in-dept report on this new equipment in the next issue of CONTACT magazine, out 1 December (make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it. Subscribing is completely free).
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