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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Paul Karp

Australian defence force to spend $1bn acquiring naval strike missiles and army rocket systems

Himars vehicle launching a rocket
A high mobility artillery rocket system launching a rocket during training. Australia will spend $1bn on the system as well as new anti-ship missiles. Photograph: Tony Overman/AP

Australia will spend more than $1bn on new naval missiles and acquiring a US rocket artillery system used by the Ukrainian military.

The defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, said the acquisition of 20 high mobility artillery rocket systems (Himars) including launchers, missiles and training rockets, from the US defence contractor Lockheed Martin was the “largest expansion of army strike capability in living memory”, reflecting the need to deter threats in a time of “strategic uncertainty”.

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