News – CONTACT magazine

Australian Army Lieutenant Mitchell 'Tex' Walker in tank number 51 during the delivery of Australian M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Story and photos by Lieutenant Commander John A Thompson.

Australia completes delivery of tanks to Ukraine

19/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 131 Views 0 Comments M1A1 Abrams, Operation Kudu, Ukraine

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has completed its landmark commitment to provide Ukraine with 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks, reinforcing the

Alfie the Elf goes on patrol with military working dog Wilka from 22 Squadron at RAAF Base Richmond. Story by Flight Lieutenant Madeleine Magee. Photos by Aircraftwoman Grace Hanlon.

News Overseas Royal Australian Air Force

Alfie the Elf’s Christmas at RAAF Base Richmond

19/12/202519/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 124 Views 0 Comments Christmas, RAAF Richmond

Far away in the North Pole, Alfie the Elf was busy working in Santa’s workshop when he received some very

Royal Australian Air Force F-35A conducts a flypast at the 2025 ADFA Graduation Parade. Story by Hannah Donald.Photo by Thomas Lucraft.

ADF Australian Army News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy

Future leaders graduate from ADFA

19/12/202519/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 124 Views 0 Comments ADFA, Governor-General of Australia

Marking the completion of three years of university study and joint military training, 330 third-year Trainee Officers took to the

Ceremonial Sunset and official reception mark 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Navy Recruit School at HMAS Cerberus, Victoria. Story by Sub-Lieutenant Jonathan Rendell. Photos by Leading Seaman Sittichai Sakonpoonpol.

History News Royal Australian Navy

Recruit School – 100 years of shaping Navy’s future

19/12/202519/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 124 Views 0 Comments Chief of Navy, HMAS Cerberus

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Mark Hammond hosted an official reception and Ceremonial Sunset on December 11 to honour 100

Operation Linesmen and Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense personnel salute remains recovered from White Horse Hill in the Korean DMZ. Story and photos by Lieutenant Commander Brendan Trembath.

Asia Australian Army History Lest We Forget News Royal Australian Air Force

ADF aids remains recovery in Korean DMZ

19/12/202519/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 125 Views 0 Comments Korean War, Operation Linesmen

Seventy-five years after the Korean War started, the Australian Defence Force has supported a successful remains recovery mission on a

An uncrewed aerial system navigates the urban-style challenge course during the Rise of the Drones finals at Victoria Barracks in Sydney. Story by Captain Andrew Lee. Photo by Private C.

Australian Army News Science & Technology

Next-generation drone pilots face off at comp

19/12/202519/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 128 Views 0 Comments Army Battle Lab, first-person view drones (FPVD), MakerSpace, Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS)

Army’s newest drone and robotics talent went head-to-head at Victoria Barracks last month in the finals of Rise of the

World War 2 veteran Valerie Ireland joins Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Chris Smith for a tour of Fleet Base East and the RAN Heritage Centre. Story by Lieutenant Hinako Shiraishi.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Navy

Veteran’s reunion after 80 years

18/12/202518/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 192 Views 0 Comments Fleet Base East, Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre, WWII

Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Christopher Smith recently welcomed 100-year-old World War 2 veteran Valerie Ireland, née Blackett, back to Fleet

Clive Wawn Junior holding the ‘short snorter’ with Squadron Leader Andrew Chadwick at the RAAF Townsville Aviation Heritage Centre. Story and photos by Flying Officer Casie Scott.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Air Force

A ‘short snorter’ with a powerful story

18/12/202518/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 197 Views 0 Comments RAAF Townsville Aviation Heritage Centre (RTAHC), WWII

An extraordinary piece of wartime history is now on display at the RAAF Townsville Aviation Heritage Centre: a 10-shilling ‘short

General Qais Khalaf Rahima (Staff), Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, Iraqi Armed Forces in Baghdad, and Australia's Deputy Chief of Joint Operations, Major General Hugh McAslan, at the cessation of Operation Steadfast. Story by Captain Karam Louli. Photos by Sergeant Andrew Sleeman.

Australian Army Middle East News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy

ADF wraps up Operation Steadfast

18/12/202518/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 252 Views 0 Comments Iraq, Operation Steadfast

Australia has officially concluded Operation Steadfast, marking the final chapter in more than two decades of Australian Defence Force involvement

Three Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon aircraft, the largest contingent to date, on the apron at Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth during Operation Gateway. Story by Flight Lieutenant Brent Moloney. Photos by Corporal Andrew Shaw.

Asia News Royal Australian Air Force

Three of a kind in Malaysia

18/12/202518/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 267 Views 0 Comments No. 292 Squadron, No. 92 Wing, Operation Gateway, P-8A Poseidon, Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth, Royal Malaysian Armed Forces

Operation Gateway’s latest rotation in November and December 2025 witnessed a trio of RAAF P-8A Poseidons operating from Royal Malaysian

Crewmembers of HMNZS Aotearoa disembarked to a warm welcome home after an 8-month deployment. NZDF photo.

New Zealand News

HMNZS Aotearoa home after 8-month deployment

12/12/202512/12/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 696 Views 0 Comments

Friends, family, haka, senior defence leaders and the Royal New Zealand Navy band were all on hand at Devonport Naval

n MQ-28A Ghost Bat is loaded with a NAIM-120 inert air-to-air missile variant at the ordnance loading area during Trial Kareela at RAAF Base Woomera, South Australia. Story by Squadron Leader Chris Moon. Photos by Aircraftman Ivan Smotrov.

News Royal Australian Air Force

Ghost Bat hits target in live fire

12/12/202512/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 811 Views 0 Comments MQ-28A Ghost Bat, RAAF Woomera

The Australian designed and manufactured MQ-28A Ghost Bat achieved another major milestone, becoming one of the first collaborative combat aircraft

An Australian Army military working dog engages a professional K9 decoy during the Irondog K9 Adaptive Deployment Workshop at Rakula in the Northern Territory. Story by Lieutenant Colonel Carrie Robards. Photos by Captain Jeremy Wikner.

Australian Army K9 Training News

Dogs and handlers sink their teeth into workshop

12/12/202512/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 593 Views 0 Comments Military Working Dogs

A group of Army military working dogs (MWDs) and handlers practised their often dangerous and unpredictable work in the red

Royal Australian Air Force officers Air Commodore Adam Spinks, left, and Air Commodore Bill Hayden unveil the Australian Armourers Association plaque at the RAAF Memorial Grove, Canberra. Story and photos by Corporal Michael Rogers.

History Lest We Forget News Royal Australian Air Force

Memorial enshrines Air Force ‘gunnies’

12/12/202512/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 486 Views 0 Comments

More than a century after Australian aircrew first dropped bombs over the Middle East, a memorial has been dedicated to

Soldiers from the 5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, conduct an urban assault with soldiers from the Indonesian National Armed Forces, at Robertson Barracks, NT. Story by Captain Nicholas Marquis. Photos by Private Oscar Hanson

Australian Army News

Exercise with allies ends on a high

12/12/202512/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 512 Views 0 Comments 5th/7th Battalion RAR, Exercise Wirra Jaya, Indonesian National Armed Forces

Handshakes, high-fives, patch swapping and a good old laugh – what better way to finish an exercise. CAPTION: Soldiers from

Medical officer Flight Lieutenant Alannah Frazzetto, of 1 Expeditionary Health Services, Royal Australian Air Force, serves on Operation Gateway at RMAF Butterworth, Malaysia. Story by Flight Lieutenant Brent Moloney. Photos by Corporal Andrew Shaw.

Asia News Royal Australian Air Force

Teams behind the scenes on Op Gateway

12/12/202512/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 425 Views 0 Comments Operation Gateway, P-8A Poseidon, Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth

Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon aircrew flew long sorties over the North Indian Ocean or the South China Sea

A Lockheed Martin employee handling a HIMARS missile at Port Wakefield. Lockheed Martin video screen grab.

Australian Army News Sovereign industry

Lockheed Martin commences missile assembly at Port Wakefield

12/12/202512/12/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 809 Views 0 Comments

Lockheed Martin Australia, in partnership with Defence, has commenced operations in a new Missile Assembly Facility in Port Wakefield, South

New Zealand soldiers supervise Ukrainian soldiers during an urban-operations training session. NZDF photo.

Europe New Zealand News

New Zealand Defence Force teams provide specialist training to Ukraine forces

12/12/202512/12/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 553 Views 0 Comments

Specialist teams of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel continue to train Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) personnel in the

Combat assault dog, Fax, posthumously receives an Australian Animal Distinguished Service Medal at a ceremony at Special Air Service Regiment in Perth. Story by Major S.

Australian Army History Lest We Forget News

Combat assault dog honoured

10/12/202510/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 735 Views 1 Comment Afghanistan, Australian Animal Distinguished Service Award, Military Working Dogs

In a moving ceremony in Perth last month, Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) combat assault dog, Fax, posthumously received the

Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force personnel with the new Kenworth prime mover truck at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. Story by Corporal Luke Bellman. Photo by Leading Aircraftwoman Nell Bradbury.

Australian Army News Royal Australian Air Force

New vehicles to keep Army on the move

10/12/202510/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1063 Views 1 Comment RAAF Amberley

Updated collision mitigation, braking technology, digitised fleet management and driver assist systems are some of the features of the new

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