Last Days of the Leopard

[Tiger-pie]

The last Leopard crew to fire its guns.

[Jim Baker]

Johnsy,

Great photos, thanks!!

I'm curious, I would think the Aussies would have more of a connection to the Brits. Why not the Challenger??

Thanks.

[Tiger-pie]

Johnsy,

Great photos, thanks!!

I'm curious, I would think the Aussies would have more of a connection to the Brits. Why not the Challenger??

Thanks.

Good question, but in the interest of brevity, I will keep it simple. Basically since the Korean War there has been a great deal of military co-operation between Australia and the US, with ties between here and England growning apart. This is mainly due to trade and treaty agreements, but that is an simplified way of looking at it. It has now got to the point that we use similar equipment and operate in the same spheres of operation as the US. We have had a presence in the Gulf since the first Gulf war and we are operating in Afganistan. We also have large joint exercises such as RIMPAC (Navy) and Talisman Saber (all arms). So overall there is a healthy alliance between our two countries, though obviously due to the small size of our military we have really only been able to supply a token force as we have deployments in our own region. Having said that we do have many of our special forces, medical and communication specialists working in those areas.

Regards;

Johnsy

Edited July 26, 2007 by Tiger-pie

[Tiger-pie]

Johnsy,

Great photos, thanks!!

I'm curious, I would think the Aussies would have more of a connection to the Brits. Why not the Challenger??

Thanks.

Good question, but in the interest of brevity, I will keep it simple. Basically since the Korean War there has been a great deal of military co-operation between Australia and the US, with ties between here and England growning apart. This is mainly due to trade and treaty agreements, but that is an simplified way of looking at it. It has now got to the point that we use similar equipment and operate in the same spheres of operation as the US. We have had a presence in the Gulf since the first Gulf war and we are operating in Afganistan. We also have large joint exercises such as RIMPAC (Navy) and Talisman Saber (all arms). So overall there is a healthy alliance between our two countries, though obviously due to the small size of our military we have really only been able to supply a token force due to deployments in our own region. Having said that we do have many of our special forces, medical and communication specialists working in those areas.

Regards;

Johnsy

[Jim Baker]

Johnsy,

Thank you. I for one am glad you are with us.

[kristensen]

Hi Tiger Pie.

Very nice photos indeed. Thanks for sharing.

Tanks - mans mighty tool......

[Hugh]

Did a bit of work with the Aus. Army at Pucka and also up in Darwin on armored vehicles. We had offered an upgrade to the Leopards, including some new nav gear which the US Abrams are just now getting. Still didn't make the budget cuts - there were other issues with maintenance and sustainability with the Leos.

[Taz]

Johnsy,

Great photos, thanks!!

I'm curious, I would think the Aussies would have more of a connection to the Brits. Why not the Challenger??

Thanks.

Jim,

This Media release explains in detail why the "Abrams" was chosen as a replacement for the Leo.

http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/Hilltpl...?CurrentId=3643

Johnsy,

Excellent photo's

Regards Eddie