Australia will acquire U.S.-made missile systems after the Ukrainian defense force praised the weapons for their effectiveness in deterring Russian troops.
The centre-left Labor government has finalised a contract to acquire 20 of the truck-mounted rocket systems, also called High Mobility Artillery Rockets (HIMARS), by 2026. It also signed another contract to buy Norwegian-made naval missiles by 2024.
The government has not officially revealed how much the package would cost but the deal is expected to cost taxpayers $1 billion (US$680 million) to $2 billion.
The rockets have a range of 300 kilometres (186 miles), which is expected to increase to more than 500 kilometres as technology advances. …