The Australian Department of Defence has issued a temporary stand-down on its Supacat High Mobility Transporter fleet following a fatal rollover during a training exercise.
Corporal Brendan Hannam, 28, of the 5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, died from the single-vehicle accident in early October at Mount Bundey Training Area, Northern Territory.
Hannam served nine years in the military, deploying twice to Afghanistan under Operation Highroad and training Ukrainian troops in the UK under Operation Kudu.
Five other soldiers sustained injuries, with two remaining in stable condition at Royal Darwin Hospital and three receiving care at Robertson Barracks Health Center.
Investigation Underway
Chief of Army Lt. Gen. Susan Coyle confirmed the suspension as a “normal standard practice,” noting it would affect units across the 1st Brigade combined arms formation and special forces.
“We’ve paused operational use of that vehicle until the investigation has commenced to understand what, if anything, may be impacted,” Coyle said, according to ABC Australia.
The chief added that Hannam was a passenger during the incident and that the vehicle type had no prior incident history since its induction.
Multiple authorities, including the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force and the Northern Territory coroner, will investigate the crash.
“We need to be making sure every lesson that can be learned from this incident is learned,” News24 quoted Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles as saying.