Monday, January 25, 2021

Project Waler

The Bushranger: /* History */ tweaking a bit for grammar and clarity


'''Project Waler''' was an unsuccessful Australian defence procurement exercise which sought to replace the [[Australian Army|Australian Army's]] [[M113 armoured personnel carriers in Australian service|M113 armoured personnel carriers]] with new [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s. It was initiated in October 1980 and cancelled in July 1985 due to government concerns over the cost and capabilities of the proposed vehicles. The M113s were upgraded instead, though some were replaced by [[ASLAV]] wheeled armoured fighting vehicles that were similar to the designs considered under Project Waler.

==History==
Project Waler was initiated by the Australian Army in October 1980. The project was named after the [[Waler]] horses that had been used by the Army.<ref name="Defence media release Tenders Called">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

The goal of the project was to replace the Army's M113 armored personnel carriers with new armoured vehicles by the mid-1990s. Between 500 and 1,000 AFVs were to be procured, with the Army considering both wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles. Studies undertaken by the [[Department of Defence (Australia)|Department of Defence]] concluded that the [[Defence industry of Australia|Australian defence industry]] was capable of designing and producing the vehicles as long as some technologies were transferred from overseas.

The first phase of the project began in September 1981, with companies being asked to submit four designs each for different wheeled and armoured vehicles. The proposals also needed to cover how the vehicles would be built and maintained in Australia, and provide an estimate of the expected costs. Australian firms were required to be the lead contractor, but could partner with foreign firms.<ref name="Defence media release Tenders Called" /> At that time it was hoped that the vehicles selected by the Army could also be sold for export.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> A total of 14 companies submitted proposals by the time this stage of the project closed in February 1982. Three proposals were selected for further consideration in July that year.

In December 1983 the Australian Minister for Defence announced that a further year's worth of studies involving the three companies had confirmed that it would be feasible to build the vehicles in Australia. At this time it was expected that tenders for the project definition stage of the process would be advertised in August 1984.

Project Waler was cancelled in July 1985, with the government deciding to upgrade the M113 fleet instead. Minister for Defence [[Kim Beazley]] stated that while the designs under consideration for Project Waler would have been superior to the M113, they would be very costly to procure. ''[[The Canberra Times]]'' reported that it had also proven difficult to tailor the designs to Australian conditions, and that the government regarded them as unsuited to Australia's needs.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> Following the project's cancellation the partnerships between Australian and foreign firms which had been established to prepare proposals were dissolved.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

==Aftermath==
[[File:ASLAV in Afghanistan 2011.jpg|thumb|An ASLAV in 2011]]
In 1987 the Government decided to procure wheeled armoured fighting vehicles to replace the [[2nd Cavalry Regiment (Australia)|2nd Cavalry Regiment's]] M113s; ''The Canberra Times'' noted that these vehicles would be similar to those considered under Project Waler.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> The [[ASLAV]] was selected for this role, and was phased into service between 1995 and 1996.

Planning for the M113 upgrade project began in the early 1990s. The government approved the project in November 1993. The upgrade project was much-delayed, and the first upgraded M113s were accepted by the Australian Army in November 2007. Tenders were sought for [[infantry fighting vehicle]] designs to replace the M113s in 2018, and a decision on the type to be procured is scheduled to be made in 2022.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref></ref>

Project Waller is sometimes cited as an example of the mismanagement of Australian defence procurement projects.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

==References==
===Citations===

===Works consulted===
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[[Category:Abandoned military projects of Australia]]
[[Category:Armoured fighting vehicles of Australia]]


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