Page 40 - Australian Defence Mag Sep 2020

40 LAND WARFARE LAND 400 PHASE 3
SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
construction in Germany. Neither contender anticipates delivery delays of any significance due to COVID-19, and a three-month industry roadshow was successfully switched from face-to-face to virtual meetings, enabling some 400 potential supplier companies to engage
ABOVE: The Lynx has recently been purchased by the Hungarian Army.
with the contenders.
Vehicle delivery is being staggered be-
tween October 2020 and January 2021, with initial deliveries required for a ve- hicle performance assessment being un- dertaken for safety reasons prior to the start of testing.
Meanwhile specialists from Defence’s Capability and Sustainment Group (CASG) continue to meet with both con- tenders in a structured manner, provid- ing feedback on their bids and collabora- tively progressing contract deliverables such as plans and the contract master schedule.
“SHORTLISTING IN SEPTEMBER 2019 SAW RDA’S LYNX KF41 AND HDA’S REDBACK, BOTH TRACKED IFVS, MOVE TO THE TWO-YEAR RMA PROCESS, WHICH INCLUDES DESTRUCTIVE TESTING TO ASSESS SURVIVABILITY.”
is set for 2024–25 while final operating ca- pability (FOC) is anticipated by 2030–31, although movement on both timelines is possible given Defence’s comments in June relating to vehicle build.
Shortly before publication deadline, De- fence advised ADM that the above dates were indicative and would continue to be refined.
“A delivery schedule has not yet been decided and will be be finalised in consul- tation with the preferred tenderer,” a De- fence spokesperson stated.
From November, the focus changes to vehicle test and evaluation that will continue until October 2021, when the project will move to a final evaluation phase and down-select of a preferred tenderer. This is expected to be presented to the government for consideration in 2022.
Initial operating capability (IOC) of the selected platform
“Defence is working closely with both tenderers to understand how the new vehicle build sched- ule could balance imperatives around introduction into service with the optimum build and production schedules.”
RMA DIFFERENCES
While the Phase 2 shortlist comprised in-service platforms that were refreshed and enhanced in a number of areas,
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