Third Redback embarks for Australia
South Korean company Hanwha Defense has despatched its third and final AS21 Redback prototype IFV (pictured) to Australia for the Project Land 400 Phase 3 competition.
This vehicle will be officially delivered to the Australian Army in mid-January 2021, Hanwha announced on 20 December.
The third prototype was specially designed to withstand landmines, IEDs and other attacks on the underside of the vehicle.
The first two Redbacks were developed and built in less than 12 months under a A$50 million ($35.75 million) test and evaluation contract with the Australian Department of Defence.
Those vehicles arrived in Australia in August and are being assembled with a turret developed by Elbit Systems.
Land 400 Phase 3 is intended to introduce a new IFV to replace an ageing fleet of M113AS4 APCs in Australian service. Redback is competing the Rheinmetall KF41 Lynx IFV.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
More from Land Warfare
-
Lockheed Martin signs Australian air and missile defence system deal
Air 6500 Phase 1, worth AU$500 million (US$326 million), will result in a sovereign system that can provide greater situational awareness and help to defend against hostile aircraft and missiles. It will sit at the core of Australia’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence programme.
-
Rheinmetall wins communications deal that could be worth up to €400 million
The systems have been purchased under a special fund which has already been tapped into for the purchase of 60 CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters worth up to €8 billion (US$8.7 billion) and thousands of Rheinmetall Caracal airmobile special operations vehicles worth €1.9 billion.
-
The Philippines looks to Israel for military equipment amid South China Sea tensions
The southeast Asian country has been enhancing its military readiness by procuring advanced Israeli defence platforms and systems.
-
NSPA signs new helmet system deal and agreement for C-UAS systems
The Caiman helmet has been designed to be scalable for dynamic operations with mission-specific accessories and can incorporate electronics, communications headsets and other critical equipment.
-
US Missile Defense Agency’s budget could be cut by $2.6 billion over the next three years
The reduction would impact several acquisition and development programmes, creating capabilities gaps in US missile defence architecture.