Defence's Land Systems Division handed over the final Australian Army Hawkei Protected Mobility Vehicle - Light (PMV-L) to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), during an official ceremony at RAAF Base Amberley, Brisbane on August 28.
The PMV-L platform is unique, having been designed and developed in Australia for the Australian Defence Force.
To observe the milestone, Project Director of LAND 121 Phase 4 - Hawkei Nick Clarke handed over the vehicle to Squadron Leader Dominic Haynes from 2 Security Forces Squadron.
In his speech, Mr Clarke acknowledged the efforts of the thousands of Defence staff who contributed to the project.
"Today marks a significant milestone in the delivery of the Hawkei capability for RAAF, CASG [Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group], Thales and Army, and should be recognised. The project [team] has been working diligently with RAAF over a number of years so it's really pleasing to finally deliver on our commitment to RAAF and see the results of these efforts," Mr Clarke said.
The delivery completed the allocation of this critical capability to various units across the Air Force, including the security forces squadrons. In total, 59 vehicles have been delivered to Air Force units.
Squadron Leader Haynes said the Hawkei provided 2 Security Forces Squadron with increased flexibility and capability to rapidly respond to incidents across airbases.
"Having the ability to tailor our force element's mobility options to both the task and the threat enhances our ability to provide a more flexible set of response options across the airbase, and across multiple locations," Squadron Leader Haynes said.
"The Hawkei is an excellent capability to supplement other protected and non-protected mobility options, as well as to enhance networked communications."
Thales representative Rhys Cruttenden, whose company manufactures the Hawkei in Bendigo, Victoria, attended the occasion.
The Hawkei's domestic production has had a positive impact on Australian industries, with 22 small Australian businesses supporting the vehicle's design, development and production.
