Page 75 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
LAND WARFARE LAND 400 75
changes were requested in indicative scheduling, most recently stated by Defence as initial operating capability (IOC) of the selected platform in 2024-25 with final oper- ating capability (FOC) expected by 2030-31.
The original Phase 3 requirement involved 281 turreted platforms mounting a 30mm cannon and 119 non-turreted multi-purpose variants, although most reports continue to refer to ‘up to 450 IFVs’. The composition of the amended bids is not known.
The call for amended tenders is understood to have fol- lowed a request to Defence in March from the national security committee of the then-Morrison government for a range of options to better assess Phase 3 value for money. This, along with the request for adjusted quotes, was not communicated to Rheinmetall and Hanwha until after the May 21 federal election.
Initially set in 2015 at $10-15 billion, the budget for Land 400 Phase 3, also known as the Mounted Close Combat Capability, soared by an extraordinary 80 per cent to $18- 27 billion in the July 2020 Force Structure Plan.
According to Defence the “additional investment” in- cluded an increased initial procurement of spares and a larger stockholding of munitions to support greater op- erational readiness, together with increased investment in supporting infrastructure and training ranges specific to the IFV capability.
ABOVE: Hanwha Defense Australia Redback (left) and Rheinmetall Defence Australia Lynx KF41 during Land 400 Phase 3 user evaluation trials at Puckapunyal
“A longer, more feasible and sustainable vehicle build scheduled in Australia also impacts the out-turned cost of the project,” a spokesperson added without further explanation.
Whichever IFV is selected, and in whatever numbers, Army can look forward to a new and formidable capability.
KF41 LYNX
Developed by Rheinmetall Defence as a private venture, the Lynx KF41 (KF stands for Kettenfahrzeug – ‘tracked vehicle’ in German) has a crew of three and can carry up to eight dismounts. The non-turreted variants fill recovery, repair, combat engineer and ambu-
lance roles.
The 7.73m long hull is an all-
welded structure, with spall liners fitted internally. Decoupled seats and a double floor enhance surviv- ability against mines and impro- vised explosive devices.
Rheinmetall says the vehicle’s ballistic armour also shields Lynx from antitank weapons, medium- calibre ammunition (generally as- sumed to be up to 40mm), artillery shrapnel, and top-attack bomblets.
“RHEINMETALL DEFENCE AUSTRALIA AND HANWHA DEFENSE AUSTRALIA WERE REQUESTED BY DEFENCE AROUND MID-JUNE TO RESUBMIT THEIR BIDS SCALED DOWN TO SUPPLY 300 IFVS”
Lynx will be deployed with the
Iron Fist hard-kill Active Protection System (APS) from Israel’s Elbit Systems together with the Rheinmetall Rapid Obscurant System - Land (ROSY) linked to the laser and acoustic sensors on the vehicle’s Lance digital turret.
The turret is in the same configuration as that used for
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