Australia to dramatically scale back spending on infantry fighting vehicles in major defence overhaul

Australia’s defence funding is expected to continue to rise overall, but the review will recommend that a number of projects be delayed, reduced or cancelled. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Australia is set to dramatically scale back the number of infantry fighting vehicles it buys for the army as part of a defence overhaul to be announced on Monday.

The army had planned to acquire up to 450 infantry fighting vehicles, at a cost of up to $27bn, to replace Australia’s Vietnam war-era armoured personnel carriers.