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CANBERRA - An armoured vehicle destroyed by insurgents in Iraq fell victim to a deadly new weapon not used before against Australian forces.
The roadside bomb attack on an Australian patrol featured an explosively formed penetrator (EFP), a metal slug travelling at high velocity and able to penetrate armoured vehicles, even US Abrams tanks.
Originally supplied by Iran to Shi'ite militias, they are now manufactured in Iraq and widely used by insurgents in the country's central region, but never before against Australian forces in southern provinces.
Three Australian soldiers were wounded in improvised explosive device (IED) attack on Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV) north of An Nasariyah in the Dhi Qar Province on April 23.
Lieutenant Colonel Russell Maddalena, operations officer with the Australian Defence Force's IED task group, said he could not confirm the source of the devices used against the Australian patrol.
"I can confirm they were explosively formed penetrators," he told reporters.
"It is the first time we have had a direct attack against one of our convoys with EFPs. They are used regularly within Iraq and they are very well known.
"It is the first time we have had an ambush initiated in this way."
Colonel Maddalena said the attack was a complex one, featuring three devices.
One bomb detonated next to the first ASLAV in a 50-vehicle convoy, injuring three crewmen and causing major damage and fire which eventually destroyed it.
A second ASLAV was damaged and unable to move.
A US military helicopter evacuated the wounded. Two have remained in Iraq but the driver, Trooper Andrew Behrndt, is now recovering from a broken ankle and burns in Darwin.
The unnamed gunner has been praised for helping his injured mates on to stretchers before returning to the gun turret to provide covering fire against attacking insurgents.
Roadside IEDs are responsible for more US and coalition force casualties than any other single cause.
Colonel Maddalena said IEDs were cheap and simple to construct, components were readily available and they were effective.
Recognising this threat, defence head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston directed formation of a task group last year to co-ordinate the ADF's IED response.
Colonel Maddalena said the threat could be mitigated with a layered response, with a soldier's body armour as the final protection.
"Whilst the IED fight can be considered in some ways a mini arms race against a fairly agile and smart enemy and there is no one silver bullet, the ADF and our coalition partners are harnessing some of the best military and scientific brains in the business to ensure we have the procedures and systems in place to provide those layers of protection and to stay ahead of the threat," he said.
Defence spokesman Brigadier Gus Gilmore said the ADF was committed to providing the best possible protection for troops.
"Some of that relies on research back home, some of it relies on personal protective equipment, on protection to our vehicles and timely tactics, techniques and procedures and continually monitoring the threat and adjusting our procedures," he said.
"One should not underestimate the potential lethality of the weapons being employed against us."
- AAP
