Royal Australian Armoured Corps
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The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is the overall umbrella grouping of Regular Army and Army Reserve regiments equipped with armoured vehicles in the Australian Army. The corps was formed in 1941 as the Australian Armoured Corps, before being given the Royal prefix in 1948. It is the senior arms corps within the Australian Army.
[edit] Current units
- Regular Army
- 1st Armoured Regiment - Armoured
- 2nd Cavalry Regiment - Reconnaissance
- B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment - Light Armoured
- 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) - Reconnaissance
- Army Reserve
- 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers - Reconnaissance
- 3rd/9th South Australia Mounted Rifles - Light cavalry
- 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse - Reconnaissance
- A Squadron, 10th Light Horse Regiment - Light cavalry
- 12th/16th Hunter River Lancers - Light Armoured
[edit] Equipment
The RAAC is primarily equipped with three types of vehicle:
- Leopard 1 - the Leopard is Australia's main battle tank (MBT), and equips 1st Armoured Regiment. The Leopard is due for replacement by the M1A1 Abrams.
- ASLAV - the ASLAV is a variant of the LAV II vehicle designed specifically for the Australian Army, and is used in the armoured reconnaissance role with 2nd Cavalry Regiment and 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment.
- M113 - the M113 is an armoured personnel carrier that serves in both the light armoured and armoured reconnaissance roles with 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st/15th NSW Lancers, 3rd/9th SAMR, 4th/19th POW Light Horse, 10th Light Horse and 12th/16th HRL. These vehicles are being phased out of service with Army Reserve units, being replaced by either Land Rover Patrol Vehicles or the Bushmater IMV.
In addition, some units of the RAAC with be equipped with the new Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicle in the near future. The 1st Armoured Regiment will be reequipped with M1A1 Abrams tanks in 2007.
