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Australia confirms A$22.015 million Talon buy
Australia has placed a major order for supply of the Foster-Miller Talon unmanned ground vehicles with deliveries due to be completed by 30 April 2010.
The order, worth A$22.015 million (US$17.72 million), was placed on 10 December via the United States foreign military sales (FMS) system.
The deal has been disclosed as part of updated Australian government purchasing records released 27 May.
An initial mobilisation order, worth A$2.92 million (USD$2.35 million, was placed via the FMS system on 28 November 2008.
The purchases are being coordinated by Australia’s Defence Materiel Organisation’s Land Systems division direct with the US Army’s UGV programmes office.
The DMO placed a separate A$107,192.00 commercial order for Talon spares with Qinetiq Australia on 19 May. Australian government contracting records describe that order as being for “field spares” and include supply of “battery recovery modules” and a “scraper attachment”.
Deliveries are to be completed by 1 July this year with the purchase order value incorporating air freight costs.
Australia has never officially announced details of its Talon acquisition program, but is understood to have made at least one purchase prior to the December FMS order to support its operations in Afghanistan.
Talon’s largest single user is the US Army. Foster Miller is a wholly owned subsidiary of the London Stock exchange listed QinetiQ group.
In October 2007 QinetiQ announced it was establishing a service and support centre for Talon UGVs in Sydney. That operation was predicated on QinetiQ subsidiary Pacific Security and Environmental Solutions (PSES) Pty Ltd holding “a stock of Talon spare parts in its Sydney warehouse and provide technical support, service repairs and overnight shipment of components as required” to support operators in the Asia-Pacific region.
However that press release also noted that “PSES' engineers already have specific Talon technical and operational expertise, thereby helping to ensure sustainment of capability.”
PSES has its registered office at Nowra, on the southern coast New South Wales.
By Peter La Franchi / Canberra
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