Although it is not known how much will be spent on specific systems, last year the US State Department approved the delivery of 20 HIMARS facilities and munitions to Australia in the amount of US$385 million.
According to an Australian government statement, the facilities and missiles, including training ones, will enter service in 2026. The launch range of the procured system is also reported to be up to 300 kilometers, which implies the use of the tactical ballistic missile. ATACMS, which Kyiv regularly requests from Washington.
Another system, NSM – Naval Strike Missile, made in Norway, is designed to re-equip destroyers and frigates, which are now armed with aging Harpoon missiles. The approximate cost of such ammunition exceeds 2 million US dollars.
The re-equipment of the Australian military with US models of equipment, without competitive bidding, may signal closer cooperation between the two countries in implementing their military strategy in the Pacific. Earlier, Australia began replacing Airbus Tiger helicopters with American Apache, and also ordered 12 Seahawk helicopters from Lockheed Martin.
