Royal Australian Armoured Corps

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Royal Australian Armoured Corps


caption=
country=Australia
allegiance=Australian Army
type=Field Army
branch=Australian Regular Army
& Australian Army Reserve
dates=1 May, 1941 – Present
specialization=Armour
command_structure=
size=4 Regular Regiments, 5 Reserve Regiments
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=Lieutenant-General, HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales
nickname=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=Battle Honours are awarded to individual RAAC Regiments
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=
identification_symbol_2=
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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.

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 - Light cavalry / Reconnaissance
**3rd/9th South Australia Mounted Rifles - Light cavalry / Reconnaissance
**4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse - Light cavalry / Reconnaissance
**A Squadron, 10th Light Horse Regiment - Light cavalry / Reconnaissance
**12th/16th Hunter River Lancers - Light Armoured

Equipment

The RAAC is primarily equipped with three types of vehicle:
*M1A1 Abrams - the Abrams is Australia's main battle tank (MBT), and equips 1st Armoured Regiment.

*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.

*Bushmaster – the Bushmaster IMV is an Australian-built wheeled armoured vehicle that is used in the Infantry Mobility role with the 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment as well as the Cavalry role with the 12th/16th Hunter River Lancers.

*Landrover - Re-equiped Land Rover 6x6 LRPV used in the Light Cavalry/Reconnaissance role of the Reserve forces.

M113 - the M113 is an armoured personnel carrier that served in the light armoured and armoured reconnaissance roles primarily with Reserve forces, it is now used in support roles in some Regiments.

Deployments

*Japan (BCOF) : 1946-1949
*South Vietnam : 1965-1971
*Somalia : 1993
*Rwanda : 1994
*East Timor : 1999 - Present
*Iraq : 2003 - Present
*Afghanistan : 2006

ee also

*List of Australian armoured units
*Royal Armoured Corps
*Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
*Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps
*Australian Armoured Units of World War II