Honda All Terrain Vehicle : Australian Special Air Service (SASR)

Honda four wheel drive, air cooled, four stroke, 400cc petrol engined, All Terrain Vehicle (ATV). As used by the Australian Army from the late 1990's. This vehicle was originally factory finished in red but has been over painted in the standard tan/brown colour of the Australian Army. The Australian Army registration number for this vehicle is ARN202917.

This All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) was used in East Timor by the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). It was damaged during an air-drop during the United Nations sanctioned International Force East Timor (INTERFET) period of 1999-2000 and eventually donated to the Memorial.

Commerically available ATV's have been popular amongst western Armies since the end of the Vietnam war. They are primarily used for providing small-scale tactical mobility, including patrols, transport of personnel and stores and provision of organic fire-support over difficult terrain. The vehicles are highly successful due to their high degree of mobility in difficult terrain and their ability to be inserted and extracted by Australian Defence Force land, air and sea assets. Civilian ATVs in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) have been in use with the Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Army in East Timor, Iraq, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.

This particular Honda was originally red before being spray painted by members of the SASR into appropriate ADF camouflage colours.