L121-4 Hawkei was envisaged as an ‘armoured Land Rover’ replacement. As the vehicle was developed it retained its ‘armoured support vehicle’ features, but grew ‘light armoured fighting vehicle’ features. While using the Hawkei as an ‘armoured support vehicle’ is reasonably understood, using it as a ‘light armoured fighting vehicle’ is breaking new ground.

Just because a platform is new to the ADF, does not mean that it has not been used by other militaries. It is important for us to look to the past so we avoid repeating mistakes in the future.