From golf carts to combat vehicles

TPR Alex Delbridge’s previous mode of transport for work was a golf buggy. That was before he decided to join the Australian Army, where he is a Boxer Block II combat reconnaissance vehicle (CRV) driver.

The 25-year-old, who grew up around Pomona on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, was working as a groundsman at a sports club when he made up his mind to join the Royal Australian Armoured Corps.

It was a career choice that owed a lot to the connections he made at the Gympie Golf Club.

“I told a couple of the workers that I was considering joining the Army. They said that they knew a guy who’d served and told me to go have a chat with him,” TPR Delbridge said.

“He was one of the regular players. I introduced myself and we started chatting. He’d done 17 years in the cavalry. He really enjoyed it and he told me all about it.

“I had considered going to artillery, but he pushed me in the direction of armoured.”   

The veteran had plenty of insights to offer, having done two tours in Afghanistan driving armoured vehicles, including the Australian light armoured vehicle (ASLAV).

Within a few months, TPR Delbridge had signed enlistment papers and was sent to Kapooka. From there it was onto the School of Armour at Puckapunyal.

“I learnt a lot,” he said. 

“They start you off with the basics and you go from there.”

Initially he trained on the ASLAV and was posted to 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane. A short time later he was sent back to Puckapunyal to train on that vehicle’s replacement, the Boxer Block II.  

“ASLAVs are good fun, they’re very zippy and have plenty of torque as well, but they feel a lot lighter and not as solid,” TPR Delbridge said.

“This [Boxer] is a lot heavier vehicle, a lot wider, bigger all round, so there is much more to take into account.”

The Boxer provides mobile firepower, troop transport and tactical surveillance.

“It’s really easy and nice to drive, it’s got plenty of power and the steering is really light,” TPR Delbridge said.

“It can pretty much go anywhere. It’s got 800 horsepower, a big V8 twin turbo and it’s got plenty of torque. You can let the tyres down from inside, so you can pretty much take on any terrain.”

OC B Squadron 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment MAJ Scott Ferguson said the new vehicle was a game-changer during 7 Bde’s combined arms training – Exercise Diamond Run.

“A lot of people look at the size of the platform and anticipate that it’ll be pretty hard to manoeuvre, but that isn’t the case. It’s been able to cross ground and handle pretty complex terrain, much more than we expected,” MAJ Ferguson said.

“It’s got a digital backbone that provides improved communications and the ability to integrate with other arms, such as infantry, engineers, artillery and signals.”

TPR Delbridge, who is an off-road enthusiast, was behind the wheel of the Boxer for five weeks tackling the challenging terrain at Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

“I love the job,” he said. 

“Four-wheel-driving really isn’t the same after you’ve driven one of these things.”

A total of 211 Boxers will be built for the ADF to replace the current fleet of ASLAVs.

CO 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment LTCOL Tom Johnson said Australia was fortunate to be one of the first countries in the world to get the Boxer Block II.

“This vehicle is a step change in capability from the previous Australian light armoured vehicle that the public would have been familiar with in Iraq and Afghanistan," LTCOL Johnson said.

“This is going to be a fundamental shift in how Army employs its contemporary cavalry capability in the future.”