Army shows off firepower of its lethal guns:Australia

THE Army's lethal weaponry from hand grenades and pistols to state-of-the-art Abrams tanks and Tiger Reconnaissance Helicopters were put to the test at a military training ground in the Territory yesterday. About 400 1st Brigade soldiers from Darwin's Robertson Barracks armed themselves with the hand-held arsenal or bunkered down in the turret of a tank and fired live rounds in a simulated battle at the Mt Bundy training range, 130km south of Darwin. The firepower demonstration, which was shown to invited guests from across the Territory, saw the tanks and soldiers engage targets from a static firing point and also on the move. But it was the Tiger choppers, which only began service in the 1st Aviation Regiment in the Top End in June last year, that grabbed everyone's attention. The futuristic Army helicopters, described as the "most advanced attack helicopter in the world", roared across the mock battle zone and repeatedly fired down the range, annihilating the set-up targets in the field. 1st Brigade Commander, Brigadier Michael Krause said it was a milestone as it was the first time the attack choppers had fired on Australian soil in conjunction with the Army's other weaponry systems. "The Tiger is the most advanced attack helicopter in the world and we're very fortunate it's now coming into service in the Australian Army," he said. He said by the end of next year, Darwin will be home to up to 18 of the formidable attack helicopters. Another highlight yesterday was the firing of the hand-held Javelin Anti-Armour Missile - the only piece of weaponry that can take out the 1500hp M1A1 Abrams tanks, as it strikes down on the target and penetrates the roof of the Abrams where there is the least armour protection. But only one shot was fired - and permission from the chief of Army was required to do so - as each round costs a whopping $33,000. Brigadier Krause said the firepower demonstration was the best training to prepare the troops for war. "These opportunities are critical," he said. "This is as close as it gets for the soldiers before going to war - everything we did was live and they employed their weapon systems exactly how they would if they were in combat."

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