The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is an administrative corps of the Australian Army. It provides the Australian Defence Force's Armour capability, which performs the function of mounted combat. Armour combines firepower, mobility, protection and networked situational awareness to generate shock action and overmatch in close combat. Armour is an essential element of the combined arms approach that is employed by the Australian Army.

The RAAC is the senior arms corps within the Army and the custodian of the customs and traditions of Australia's mounted soldiers. The members of the corps are Army's experts in the theory and practice of armoured warfare and operation of armoured fighting vehicles (AFV). While all RAAC members are trained in the technical and tactical employment of armour, they specialise in either the Armoured or Cavalry career streams. Both male and female soldiers and officers serve within the RAAC as armoured vehicle crew. The corps includes both full-time Regular and part-time Reserve units and members. The RAAC provides policy guidance, trade management representation and administrative support for its members.

The RAAC's origins can be traced back to the Australian Tank Corps (ATC), formed in 1928. Around this time the distinctive headdress of Commonwealth armoured corps members, the black beret, was adopted by the ATC which was affiliated with the Royal Tank Corps.

For most of the 1930s the ATC remained an embryonic organisation containing only a small cadre of permanent staff and the militia 1st Tank Section. At the outbreak of the Second World War the ATC had grown to two militia light tank companies. These, in conjunction with the militia 1st and 2nd Cavalry Divisions, which included the Australian Light Horse (ALH) regiments of First World War fame, comprised Australia's mobile mounted combat forces. In the early stages of the war, the ATC and ALH provided many personnel who formed the basis of the mechanised divisional cavalry and armoured regiments. In order to administer the growing number of units, including the 1st Australian Armoured Division, the Australian Armoured Corps (AAC) was formed on 9 July 1941.

The AAC absorbed the ATC and certain other personnel whose primary function was to operate, instruct or manage AFVs. As a result of the increasing mechanisation of the army, and commensurate waning of horse mounted troops, the ALH was also absorbed into the AAC on 8 May 1942. By this time many ALH units had converted to motorised units, such as reconnaissance and motor regiments, others had mechanised as armoured and tank regiments. At its height the AAC included the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Australian Armoured Divisions, the 3rd Australian Army Tank Brigade and various training centres and regiments, located at Puckapunyal and Singleton ranges. While many individual units served overseas with distinction, by the end of the war these large formations were broken up and much of the wartime AAC was demobilised with the rest of the force. The Australian Armoured Corps was granted the Royal prefix in recognition of its service during the Second World War on 14 December 1948.

The role of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps is to locate, identify, destroy or capture the enemy, by day or night, in combination with other arms, using fire and manoeuvre.

To perform this role RAAC units are structured into two types:

Armoured Cavalry. Each contains an Armoured, two Cavalry and a Support Squadron which provide mounted close combat, formation level reconnaissance, surveillance and security and integrated combat service support capabilities.