SYDNEY, October 17. /TASS/. The Australian Armed Forces' fleet of M113 armored personnel carriers will be decommissioned while an investigation into the death of a soldier during an exercise is conducted. This was announced by the deputy head of the country's government, Defense Minister Richard Marles.
According to him, the operation of the M113 armored personnel carrier serving the Australian army “will be suspended while the cause of the accident is investigated”, leaving two soldiers injured and one dead. “This is a smart move while we figure out what happened,” Marles said.
He also noted that the Australian Army “has operated the M113 for a long time and these vehicles will continue to serve once the investigation is complete”. “Over time, they will be replaced by new Redback combat vehicles, which are currently being produced and delivered to the Australian military by 2027. But the M113 will continue to serve throughout the transition period,” the minister said.
Previously, it was reported that due to an incident during a military exercise in northeastern Australia, one soldier died and two others were hospitalized. The accident occurred 60 km from the city of Townsville, located on the northeast coast of the continent, 1.3 thousand km north of Brisbane. The two injured soldiers were hospitalized with minor injuries and later released.
