Royal Australian Armoured Corps
| Australian Armoured Corps Royal Australian Armoured Corps | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 9 July 1941 – Present |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Corps |
| Role | Armour |
| Size |
4 Regular Regiments 5 Reserve Regiments |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HRH The Prince of Wales |
The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is a corps of the Australian Army. The corps was formed on 9 July 1941 as the Australian Armoured Corps to provide personnel to use Armoured Fighting Vehicles. The corps has its origins in the Australian Tank Corps, which was formed in 1928.[1] The RAAC is the senior arms corps within the army and was granted the Royal prefix in 1948. Units of the RAAC have included tank, reconnaissance and armoured personnel-carrier regiments.[2]
Current units
- Regular Army
- 1st Armoured Regiment – Armoured / Reconnaissance
- 2nd Cavalry Regiment – Armoured / Reconnaissance
- 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) – Armoured / Reconnaissance
- School of Armour – Training Regiment
- Army Reserve
- 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers – Light cavalry / Reconnaissance
- 3rd/9th Light Horse (South Australia Mounted Rifles) – Light cavalry / Reconnaissance
- B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment – Inactive
- 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse – Light cavalry / Reconnaissance
- A Squadron, 10th Light Horse Regiment – Light cavalry / Reconnaissance
- 12th/16th Hunter River Lancers – Light Armoured
Equipment
The RAAC is primarily equipped with five types of vehicle:
- M1A1 Abrams – the Abrams is Australia's main battle tank (MBT), and equips the 1st Armoured and 2nd Cavalry Regiments.
- ASLAV – the ASLAV is a variant of the LAV 25 vehicle designed specifically for the Australian Army, and is used in the armoured reconnaissance role with the 1st Armoured, 2nd Cavalry and 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiments.
- M113AS4 – the M113AS4 is an upgraded M113 armoured personnel carrier and equips the 1st Armoured, 2nd Cavalry and 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiments.
- Bushmaster PMV – the Bushmaster is used to provide protected lift by the light cavalry regiments.
- Land Rover Perentie – 4x4 and 6x6 versions of the Land Rover are used in the reconnaissance role by the light cavalry regiments.
Deployments
- Japan: 1946–49
- Vietnam: 1965–71
- East Timor: 1999–Present
- Iraq: 2003–08
- Afghanistan: 2006–Present
See also
- List of Australian armoured units
- Tanks in the Australian Army
- The Lancer Band
- Royal Armoured Corps
- Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
- Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps
- Australian Armoured Units of World War II
Notes
References
- Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin; Bou, Jean (2008). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (Second ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195517849.
- Jobson, Christopher (2009). Looking Forward, Looking Back: Customs and Traditions of the Australian Army. Wavell Heights, Queensland: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9803251-6-4.
| Preceded by Corps of Staff Cadets |
Australian Army Order of Precedence | Succeeded by Royal Australian Artillery |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| History | |
| Australian Defence Force Cadets | |
Military of Australia Portal | |
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