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14 May 20. Oshkosh, Saudi Arabia’s Al Tadrea launch joint venture to make armored vehicles. American firm Oshkosh Defense and Saudi Arabia’s Al Tadrea Manufacturing Company have established a joint venture to manufacture armed vehicles in the kingdom.
The two companies formed Oshkosh Al-Tadrea Manufacturing, creating “the largest partnership in the history of Saudi armored vehicles,” according to a message on Al Tadrea’s official Twitter account.
Defense News reported in 2017 that Al Tadrea was in talks with Oshkosh to manufacture armored vehicles in Saudi Arabia. Al Tadrea CEO Fawzi Bin Ayoub Sabri confirmed during an interview that year at the Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference that his company was “”discussing partnerships with many international companies, particularly negotiating with Oshkosh Defense to produce armored vehicles.”
Wednesday’s online signing ceremony was held between officials and senior executives of the two companies.
The joint venture, also known as OTM, will be based in Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom will hold the largest property share, according to a May 14 report by the Saudi Press Agency.
“The joint venture will design and provide its first vehicles to be built based on the model of the Oshkosh Defense vehicle in the medium-sized 4×4 Tactical Vehicle (FMTV) category,” the press agency reported.
OTM will “develop manufacturing expertise to become a major partner for wheeled tactical vehicle services, [and] it will also provide the necessary services to its customers in the security and military sectors in the Kingdom, through an integrated and sustainable support fleet, as well as activating the supply chains more broadly and more efficiently,” the report read.
In a speech during the virtual ceremony, the head of Al Tadrea said: “The current efforts made by the kingdom in the field of industries, especially military industries, demand from us to move forward and follow the government’s directions to achieve everything related to homeland security, and to raise the efficiency of military industries and the support of Saudi talents and human capabilities that we rely on by providing job opportunities to the Saudis.”
For his part, John Bryant, the president of Oshkosh Defense and the executive vice president of its parent company, Oshkosh Corporation, said that “both Oshkosh Defense and Al Tadrea Manufacturing have worked closely for more than two years to establish this joint venture, by transferring its technology and capabilities. We are very excited to cooperate with this Saudi company with a solid history.”
The two firms prepared for this joint venture by providing training opportunities and accreditation certificates to future OTM employees. The training sessions covered manufacturing, repairing and joint maintenance of M-ATVs, which are mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles made by Oshkosh and currently in service within the Royal Saudi Land Forces. (Source: Defense News)
13 May 20. Defense Takes Essential Step to Reactivate the Spanish 8×8 Program. The [Spanish] Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, under Article 346 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, has signed the commitment that will allow the incorporation of a joint venture company formed by the Spanish companies Indra Sistemas S.A., Santa Bárbara Sistemas S.A., Sapa Placencia S.L. and Escribano Mechanical & Engineering S.L., for the sole purpose of executing the Vehículos de Combate sobre Ruedas (VCR) 8×8 program. After this signature, a tender period begins with the intention that said contract can be signed during the third quarter of 2020. The proposal of these companies satisfies the requirements of the Spanish Army, by allowing to retain the design authority in Spain and favor a high participation of the national industry in a percentage not less than 70%. The industrial plan of this program is going to have very positive effects on the national economy, having special incidence in Asturias, Seville, Guipúzcoa and Madrid, where the creation of 650 direct jobs and another 1,000 indirect jobs is expected.
In addition, this solution also guarantees the maintenance of the 8×8 “Dragon,” facilitating the control of obsolescence and the future incorporation of improvements to the vehicle as well as an important workload for the national industry throughout its life cycle, that will be less than 40 years.
(Defense-Aerospace.com EDITOR’S NOTE: The Spanish government in December 2019 canceled a €2.083bn contract previously awarded to the Santa Barbara Sistemas unit of General Dynamics European Land Systems for the production of 348 Piranha 5 wheeled armored vehicles, having decided that Santa Barbara’s final offer was “not admissible” for technical, operational and economic reasons.
The new contract, which should be awarded this year to the new joint venture company, which will also be tasked with the international marketing of the VCR.)
(Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com(Source: Defense-Aerospace.com/Spanish Ministry of Defence)
13 May 20. Video footage shows Vietnamese T-90S/SK MBTs fitted with Shtora-1 APS. Video footage released online on 12 May by the Vietnam National Defence television channel (QPVN) shows that at least some of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) T-90S/SK main battle tanks (MBTs) acquired from Russia have been equipped with the Shtora-1 active protection system (APS).
The footage, which was part of a QPVN news programme, showed at least one T-90SK and two T-90S MBTs fitted with the Russian-made APS.
The second distinctive feature on the MBTs, which were shown being displayed at a military base alongside several other tanks and an armoured recovery vehicle, was the Kord 12.7 mm heavy machinegun (HMG) – instead of the organic NSVT 12.7 mm HMG – which was seen installed in a roof-top mount.
A screengrab from QPVN video footage released on 12 May showing VPA T-90S/SK MBTs equipped with the Shtora-1 active protection system.
The QPVN news report comes after the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) told Jane’s in March 2019 that Moscow had completed the delivery of 64 T-90S/SK MBTs to Vietnam under a contract signed in 2016.
A representative of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) told Janes at the time that the MBTs had been shipped in two large batches, each totalling “no fewer than 30 platforms”.
“The first batch was delivered last December [2018], while the second one arrived in Vietnam in late February [2019],” said the sources at the time, adding that the VPA received the MBTs equipped with Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armour and “a turret-mounted missile countermeasures system”.
The vehicles are replacing outdated Chinese-made Type 59 and non-upgraded Soviet-era T-54 tanks, he added. (Source: Jane’s)
13 May 20. KPE seals further Arlan order with Kazakhstan, discloses new vehicles. Kazakh vehicle manufacturer KPE announced on 13 May that it had signed a further agreement with the Kazakh Ministry of Defence (MoD) for a further batch of 4×4 Arlan MRAP vehicles.
Details and numbers of the contract were not disclosed, but the new batch is to be delivered in 2021. The Kazakh military has been operating the Arlan for more than three years, with deliveries to the Kazakh MoD and law enforcement agencies beginning in August 2016.
The vehicle can carry up to 10 personnel, and is based on the design of South African firm Paramount Group’s Marauder MRAP vehicle but adapted to work in the extreme temperatures of Kazakhstan. The last batch of vehicles, delivered to the MoD and special services in November, included ergonomic upgrades and improved heating and air conditioning to the vehicles based on user feedback.
KPE has been delivering the Arlan to the Kazakh MoD since 2016.
KPE also disclosed a number of developmental programmes in its release on the new Arlan contract. These include a special operations variant of the Alan 4×4, a licence-built model of the Plasan SandCat, known as the Alan 2, and a tracked infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) called the Mergen.
A KPE spokesperson told Janes that both projects are to be finalised and tested soon by the Kazakh MoD.
The company is also marketing the Barys 8×8 wheeled IFV, based on the Paramount Group Mbombe 8, to the Kazakhstan MoD, with factory and demonstration tests continuing. First unveiled in 2016, the vehicle underwent winter trials in late 2017 in temperatures that dropped to –45°C and a wind-chill effect of –60°C. (Source: Jane’s)
11 May 20. Australian Army to acquire EW attack capability for Bushmasters. Acquisition of a force-level EW system that includes an attack component will be undertaken under Tranche 2 of Australia’s LAND 555 Phase 6 program starting this year.
The new EW systems will be fitted to Bushmaster vehicles and will be interoperable with EW systems acquired by the RAAF, Royal Australian Navy and other members of the five eyes community.
A contract is expected in 2021, with delivery completed by 2023. Tranche 2 secured first pass approval in 2018 with the release of an invitation to tender.
That invitation stated the EW system would include electronic attack capable of jamming techniques, electronic support for detection, and C2 for networking and communication at the tactical, operational and strategic levels, and with battle management capabilities.
A spokesperson speaking with Shephard Media said Tranche 2 “is currently under review to further define capability requirements”, but the new system will be “more tailored to specific missions and will allow the Australian Army to undertake more co-ordinated mobile electronic attacks and support ADF operations”.
Under Tranche 1, the construction of facilities to support 72 EW Squadron, part of the Army’s 7th Signals Regiment at Borneo Barracks in Queensland, are due to commence in July for completion by year’s end.
Tranche 1 will procure an additional six army EW systems beyond those purchased under the earlier LAND 500 Phase 1 contract.
That saw Chemring Australia provide its Resolve 3 EW manpack system for $18m to replace the army’s existing Manpack Electronic Surveillance System. The company received an industry capability grant in 2013 to develop a range of military electronics systems in Australia.
The new facilities will ensure the Army can support this new equipment in-country and contribute to further EW developments.
The Resolve manpack can provide full-spectrum surveillance to provide instant threat warnings, and direction-finding to locate its origin. When operating with other units, it can use angle-of-arrival techniques to fix a target’s position.
The spokesperson said new systems procured under Tranche 1 “are required to be suitable for fitment to the Protected Mobility Electronic Platform variant Bushmaster, a trailer or other in-service protected mobility options”.
The LAND 4120 EW Rolling Program is not expected to seek first pass government approval until 2024. LAND 4120 aims to regularly enhance land EW capability based on immediate priorities to respond to emerging threats.
It is anticipated LAND 4120 will “take an iterative approach to the project scope” as a multi-decade program to ensure Australia can “maintain a technological edge over potential adversaries”, and that investment in R&D and technology “is anticipated to be an enduring theme for LAND 4120”. (Source: Defence Connect)
11 May 20. No tanks, but the Corps is still looking for an LAV replacement. While the Corps plans to scrap its tank battalions the Marines are still in pursuit of a new armored reconnaissance vehicle to replace the legacy light armored vehicle. It’s called the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle, and Marine Corps Systems Command noted in a news release that prototypes from two vendors should be ready for evaluations by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020.
The Corps says it expects a final request for prototype proposal by spring 2021.
“Light Armored Reconnaissance today is built great for another Desert Shield, Desert Storm,” Berger said Wednesday. “I don’t see that likelihood as being very great.”
In 2019, the Corps announced it had selected two vendors, General Dynamics and SAIC, to design and build full-scale prototypes of the new ARV vehicle.
Marine Corps Systems Command detailed in the news release that an assessment had “identified shortfalls and gaps in capability” when the legacy LAV was pitted against a peer threat.
Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger has said that current light armored reconnaissance battalions across the Corps are outmoded for the high-end fight against adversaries like Russia and China.
“Light Armored Reconnaissance today is built great for another Desert Shield, Desert Storm,” Berger said previously said. “I don’t see that likelihood as being very great.”
But the top Marine noted that reconnaissance and counter reconnaissance was vital to a fight against near-peer rivals.
“No question in my mind” when going up against a capable adversary “that it pays to be spread out and dispersed,” Berger told reporters in April.
“What we have to do now is transition to a lighter footprint, more expeditionary, more in support of a littoral environment,” Berger said. The top Marine said a future LAR unit should be able to collect information even potentially offshore.
Marine Corps Systems Command said in the news release that it wants a “battle management system, enhanced vision technologies for increased situational awareness, and target tracking and engagement capabilities,” for its new ARV.
An industry day for the ARV was slated to run in May 2020 but has been pushed back to fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020, the release said. (Source: Defense News)
11 May 20. PLAAF airborne troops receive new air-droppable armoured vehicle. Airborne troops from China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) have received what Chinese stated-owned media described as the first batch of a new locally developed 4×4 air-droppable, amphibious multirole armoured vehicle.
The China Central Television 13 (CCTV 13) channel reported on 8 May that several units of the vehicle, which is somewhat similar in appearance to the China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) CS/VN3 light armoured wheeled vehicle operated by the PLA, had been handed over the previous day to a combined arms brigade of the PLAAF Airborne Corps in central China’s Hubei Province.
CCTV 13 video footage showed that at least 14 of the vehicles were inducted into service in a ceremony held the previous day at a military training ground in northern Hubei Province. The five-door vehicle, the designation of which was not revealed, appears to be a variant of an airborne armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) that had been unveiled in 2018 at the Airshow China defence exhibition held in Zhuhai.
At the time the AFV variant, which is fitted with an unmanned turret mounting, what appears to be a 30 mm cannon, a co-axial 7.62 mm light machine gun, and six smoke grenade launchers, was displayed at the show alongside three other airborne platforms: a 4×4, 122 mm airborne multiple launch rocket system; a tracked 120 mm Nona-type self-propelled mortar-howitzer; and a tracked AFV armed with what appeared to be a 100 mm main gun and a coaxial 30 mm cannon. None of the platforms seen at Zhuhai, however, was seen at the induction ceremony.
The platforms were displayed at the show between a Y-20 strategic and a Y-9 medium transport aircraft, suggesting these would be the air-lift assets used to transport the vehicles.
The recently inducted 4×4 vehicle, which can carry seven personnel (including three crew members), was shown fitted with what appears to be a 12.7mm heavy machine gun on the roof and three smoke grenade launchers on each side. (Source: Jane’s)
11 May 20. A quantum leap in force protection – Rheinmetall supplying Bundeswehr with Fuchs/Fox armoured transport vehicles configured for EOD role. Unexploded ordnance, mines and improvised explosive devices pose a grave threat to troops deployed in harm’s way. The German Bundeswehr is currently taking delivery of a newly developed high-performance system for countering these threats. Specially configured for an EOD role, this new variant of the Fuchs/Fox 1A8 armoured transport vehicle – known as the KAI – represents a quantum leap in the German military’s ability to detect and identify unexploded ordnance and similar battlefield hazards. Thanks to its high-performance electronics and a precise, multi-jointed, versatile manipulator arm featuring state-of-the-art sensors, Bundeswehr bomb disposal experts will now be able to reconnoitre, mark, expose and identify suspicious objects from a safe distance. Delivery of these serially produced systems is already underway, and slated to be complete in 2020. The order is worth a figure in the mid-double-digit million-euro range.
The Fuchs/Fox KAI reinforces the Bundeswehr’s array of heavy-duty EOD vehicles, and is designed to investigate vulnerable points which the Route Clearance System – partially supplied by Rheinmetall as well – cannot reach. Furthermore, the KAI is intended to serve as a stand-alone system capable of operating without the Route Clearance System in a convoy support role.
The carrier vehicle for the KAI is the latest iteration of the 1A8 version of this tried-and-tested armoured transport vehicle. Extremely well protected from mine and IED blasts, it is equipped with advanced force protection elements and mine-resistant seats that the keep the crew’s feet safely off the floor of the hull. The most prominent feature of the Fuchs/Fox KAI is the aforementioned multi-jointed, high-precision manipulator arm, with a maximum operating reach of over ten metres and a load-carrying capacity of 400 kg. This enables EOD personnel operating in the Fuchs/Fox fighting compartment to investigate suspicious locations and to examine and identify ordnance and booby traps with great precision from a safe standoff.
Besides the basic tool, the manipulator can accommodate two other tools. One of these is a dual sensor, the 80-centimetre variant employed by the Route Clearance System. It can be used for investigating suspicious spots and determining whether ordnance has been buried there. In addition, there is also a tool camera. Mounted on a tilt-and-pan head, this device can optically examine hard-to-view places such as drainage pipes, the sides and undersides of bridges or locations behind walls in order for example to detect the presence of an explosive device. To enable visual reconnaissance, the system features high-performance optronic technology. An optronic wiping-and-washing system makes it possible to quickly clean the reconnaissance camera during an ongoing operation. This significantly boosts the system’s tactical flexibility.
Other core elements of the KAI are its water-air spade system, with a maximum operating pressure of 400 bar, and a ripper chisel. This enables the EOD crew to uncover suspicious objects which cannot be clearly identified. Marking can be done digitally either in the system by means of exact GPS coordinates, or with an optical marking device for the dismounted bomb disposal engineer. Moreover, the manipulator arm can be mounted with a recovery system for removing persons from a danger zone.
Rheinmetall is the German military’s partner of choice for combat engineering equipment. Other products in this segment include a share in the already mentioned Route Clearance System, the Dachs/Badger Armoured Engineering Vehicle 2, the Keiler armoured mine-clearing vehicle, and multiple variants of the Fuchs/Fox armoured transport vehicle.
08 May 20. Pandemic Delays Industry Day for Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicle Replacement. The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced the Marine Corps to postpone the industry day it had scheduled this month for its new reconnaissance vehicle effort. But the service still plans to invite industry to submit ideas for vehicle prototypes next spring.
The Corps announced plans in April 2019 to begin replacing its legacy Light Armored Vehicle with the Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle, or ARV, in the late 2020s. Since then, officials managing the Light Armored Vehicles program have been talking with the defense industry to see which firms are capable of building the new vehicle, which will feature enhanced vision technologies for increased situational awareness and advanced target tracking and weapon systems.
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The COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the industry day, at which officials had planned to answer questions about the request for information the Corps released last year.
“We still want to hold an industry day, so we can have an open discussion with industry, provide more clarification and answer any questions from our industry partners,” Maryann Lawson, Marine Corp Systems Command’s project lead for the ARV effort, said in a recent announcement.
The event is now scheduled for the fourth quarter of this fiscal year.
Related: New Army Approach on Bradley Replacement: ‘Lower the Bar’ for Companies to Compete
The Marine Corps also plans to release a draft request for prototypes for the ARV base variant before the end of this fiscal year, according to the release. The Corps wants feedback from defense firms to help shape the requirement for the final prototypes request, which is scheduled for publication in spring 2021.
The Army is also working on its Next Generation Combat Vehicle, an effort to replace the Cold War-era Bradley fighting vehicle. Part of the effort will be to field an Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, or OMFV.
In late January, Army officials announced that the service would restart the high-priority OMFV effort after receiving only one valid bid for the $45bn program.
Marine ARV program officials are coordinating with Army OMFV officials, recognizing the commonalities that exist between the two programs, the release states.
In 2019, the Office of Naval Research selected two defense companies to design, build and test full-scale technology-demonstration vehicles, an ARV science and technology effort which is part of the Navy’s Future Naval Capabilities program, according to a September release.
General Dynamics Land Systems is building a vehicle that will incorporate advanced technologies available today for the “base vehicle” approach, the release states.
The Virginia-based IT company SAIC is building an “at-the-edge” vehicle designed around technologies that currently may not be fully mature but could be incorporated into the ARV as new capabilities, when threats and missions evolve, the release adds.
Both vehicles are expected to be ready for evaluation in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year, Marine Corps Systems Command officials said.
Last year, the Corps conducted a capability-based assessment that focused on armored reconnaissance, according to the release, which described how the assessment pitted Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions against a peer threat, and identified shortfalls and gaps in capability.
Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Combat Development and Integration produced an initial capabilities document — which was validated by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council in 2019.
“As the core-manned, next-generation system, ARV must possess transformational capabilities to enable LAR Battalions to gain contact with and collect on peer-threat forces,” Marine Corps Systems Command officials said. “It must accomplish this goal without becoming decisively engaged, while also successfully waging the counter-reconnaissance fight.”
As the effort evolves, the Marine Corps has begun to view the ARV as more than just a replacement for the LAV, the release states.
“Over time, officials began to view the ARV as a vehicle platform equipped with a suite of advanced reconnaissance capabilities, with an open-system architecture that can sense, shoot, move, communicate and remain transportable as part of the Naval Expeditionary Force,” it adds. (Source: Military.com)
08 May 20. IAI to acquire manufacturing lines of Zibar, Zmag and ZD off-road vehicles. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced on 7 May that it is in the process of acquiring the manufacturing operations of Zibar, Zmag (pictured) and ZD vehicles from Ido Cohen.
The off-road vehicles will be upgraded and adapted for military and homeland defence applications including a range of intelligence, radar and communications systems produced by IAI’s Elta Systems.
Yoav Turgeman, VP and CEO of Elta Systems, said: ‘Integrating these capabilities on the Z Vehicle family provides significant added value to the operational capabilities Elta provides to existing and future customers.’
He continued that: ‘The off-road vehicles will fulfil the operational needs of the ground forces for defence, assault and intelligence.’
All of the vehicles will be made in Israel. A new IAI ground forces facility is also currently under construction which will see millions of dollars invested in innovative technological and R&D infrastructure. (Source: Shephard)
11 May 20. Back in the race: Rheinmetall/Raytheon team to recontest US OMFV program. After a shock decision in late-2019 to prevent the Rheinmetall/Raytheon Lynx KF-41 IFV from contesting the US Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program to replace the Cold War-era M2 Bradley IFV, the US-German team is back, spelling greater opportunity for industrial collaboration with Australia.
Raytheon and Rheinmetall joined forces in 2018 to offer Lynx for the Army’s OMFV competition. Lynx is a next-generation, tracked armoured fighting vehicle designed to address the critical challenges of the future battlefield. Lynx provides ample growth capacity to support new technologies over the vehicle’s lifetime, and features lower life cycle costs.
Raytheon and Rheinmetall Defence have established a joint venture to offer the Lynx IFV for the US Army’s OMFV competition. The US-based joint venture is called Raytheon Rheinmetall Land Systems.
Sam Deneke, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president, said in October 2018 at the announcement of the industry collaboration: “Our team will produce and deliver a fighting vehicle to the US Army that protects our troops and gives them an overwhelming advantage on the battlefield. This advanced combat vehicle will be made in America.”
Scheduled for fielding in 2026, the OMFV is expected to replace the Bradley fighting vehicle. The new vehicle will be optimised for urban combat and rural terrain. The Army has named the OMFV as a top modernisation priority supported under the service’s Futures Command structure.
Following the announcement that the Lynx would be offered, Ben Hudson, global head of Rheinmetall’s vehicle systems division, said, “Lynx will be built in America by American workers. By choosing Lynx, the Army has an extraordinary opportunity to provide US troops with a fighting vehicle that will enable them to outmatch the threat for decades to come.”
However, to the shock of many, particularly in Australia, the US Army disqualified the joint Raytheon and Rheinmetall bid to offer KF-41 Lynx for the Army’s OMFV program.
Lynx is described as a next-generation, tracked armoured fighting vehicle designed to address the critical challenges of the future battlefield. Lynx provides ample growth capacity to support new technologies over the vehicle’s lifetime, and features lower life cycle costs.
It was believed that the biggest issue for the US Army and the joint Raytheon and Rheinmetall team was the proposed delivery date of 1 October – with transport and certification issues within Germany.
The initial disqualification of the Raytheon and Rheinmetall team meant that General Dynamics Land Systems’ offering is the only vehicle remaining in the competition. GDLS has not yet detailed its offering for OMFV but said it was “purpose-built” for the US Army.
However, things appear to have taken a turn as it has recently been revealed that the Rheinmetall-Raytheon team will be presenting a modified variant of the KF-41 Lynx to the US Army following renewed requests for US Army’s OMFV program.
Matthew Warnick, the American Rheinmetall Vehicles managing director, told Janes, “[Our proposal] is not going to be the Lynx in its current form, as everybody saw at [the Association of the US Army conference] two years ago. This is going to be revised and evolved based on the final RFP [request for proposal] but it’s a great starting point given its next-generation attributes to meet the specific US Army requirements.”
As part of a submission to US Congress report of 16 April 2020, the Raytheon/Rheinmetall team had proposed its Lynx vehicle. The vehicle will be able to mount a 50mm cannon and thermal sights and could accommodate both APS and UAVs. Raytheon states that the Lynx can accommodate a nine-soldier infantry squad according to the requirements of the US Army OMFV program.
The US Army has named the OMFV as a top modernisation priority supported under the service’s Futures Command structure.
The Lynx offered to the US Army shared a range of commonalities with the variant offered to the Australian Army as part of its multibillion-dollar LAND 400 Phase 3 program – providing a range of industry collaboration and supply chain opportunities for Australian industry.
Australia’s LAND 400 Phase 3 program will replace the M113 armoured personnel carriers, providing the Army with an advanced, world-class IFV capability.
Both options will provide the Australian Army with a range of capabilities, including:
- Hanwha Defense Systems AS21 Redback: The AS21 will include the capability to integrate active protection systems into an evolved turret system. The Redback will be capable of hosting a crew of 11 (three crew, eight troops), a top road speed of 70km/h, cross country speed of 40km/h, an operational range of 500 kilometres, with an armament consisting of a 40mm autocannon and a single 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.
- Rheinmetall Lynx KF-41: The Lynx KF41 will include the capability to support a crew of 12 (three crew, up to nine troops), have a max road speed of 70km/h, a road range of more than 500 kilometres, with an armament consisting of the Lance 2.0 30-35mm autocannon, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and a variety of additional close-in weapons systems.
LAND 400 Phase 3 is a $10-$15bn program, which will recapitalise the Army’s Vietnam-era M113 APC force, with a combination of a tracked IFV and tracked APC.
The risk mitigation activity will commence later this year. Following its completion, Defence will undertake a final detailed evaluation of the shortlisted tenders.
A decision on the preferred tenderer to supply the Phase 3 capability will be presented to government for consideration in 2022. (Source: Defence Connect)
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About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense is a leading provider of tactical wheeled vehicles and life cycle sustainment services. For decades Oshkosh has been mobilizing military and security forces around the globe by offering a full portfolio of heavy, medium, light and highly protected military vehicles to support our customers’ missions. In addition, Oshkosh offers advanced technologies and vehicle components such as TAK-4® independent suspension systems, TerraMax™ unmanned ground vehicle solutions, Command Zone™ integrated control and diagnostics system, and ProPulse® diesel electric and on-board vehicle power solutions, to provide our customers with a technical edge as they fulfill their missions. Every Oshkosh vehicle is backed by a team of defense industry experts and complete range of ustainment and training services to optimize fleet readiness and performance. Oshkosh Defense, LLC is an Oshkosh Corporation company [NYSE: OSK].
To learn more about Oshkosh Defense, please visit us at www.oshkoshdefense.com.
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