Canberra - We Sell Weapons!

Have another look Al, my previous comment looks fine to me 😉

“Thanks Al. I’m normally picky with grammar too, sliped [sic] up this time. Sorry.”

And again it would seem… 🙂
…he says, laying himself wide open to being dumped on next typo…

Took me awhile to remember where I’d seen it!

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21843805-31477,00.html

Thanks Al. I’m normally picky with grammar too, slipped up this time. Sorry.

Mr Evil, any info to back that or like me just the best guess given the current info?

I believe it’s the US who has bought the system.

It’s to stop their gunners being shot while using the pintle mounted machineguns on tanks and APCs.

Grammar gripe:
their – possessive – “that is their belief”
they’re – abbreviation for “they are”
Sheeesh…

My concern isn’t so much who we sell it to. Unless of course the order form says Bin Laden. But rather security when it reaches the end user. The Australian military has weapons go missing. In Papua, a staggering number of the weapons (almost 2/3) that Australia gave to their military has gone missing* and is likely in the hands of militia and extremists. Or worse, for sale on the black market.

By all means trade military hardware/toys with allies to foster economic and defense cooperation. But make sure they lock them up after playing with them!

*Source: Foreign Correspondent, ABC

Well according to EOS’ media page in their own press release and again in an article in the Asia-Pacific Defence Report it looks very likely to me to be one of Singapore, UAE, Thailand, Sri-Lanka, “others in the Middle East” (Israel?) or the US.

Having said that for any sale to go ahead they would require an end-user certificate from DFAT and Defence. Given human rights, political and other historical factors an end-user cert. is unlikely to be granted to any Middle Eastern country including the UAE and Israel and likewise for Singapore, Thailand and Sri-Lanka. Our Govt. will allow the sale of items to friendly countries (such as dingies to the Philippines) but tends not to let the sale of weapons, as opposed to support items, or high end tech items be sold to those with even slightly dodgy human rights records.

In addition although Singapore could easily afford such items, high end tech sales have in the past not be sold to them because CIS (Chartered Industries Singapore – now part of ST Engineering) have had a tendency to be a little cavalier with the western concept of intellectual property laws, reverse engineering things they like rather than buying them. Thailand could also afford such an amount but would unlikely be allowed given reasons above but additionally having had a coup recently.

All in all it would be a surprise if the contract was with anyone other than the US although given the past announcements of winning contracts with the US why this would not have been announced as such rather than as a “foreign country”.

A $50mil contract to supply Stablised Weapons Platforms.
Ha, big deal. I picked one of those up on eBay last month.

EOS is losing staff left-right-centre.