Page 95 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec-Jan 2021

DECEMBER 2020 – JANUARY 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
PROJECT REVIEW LAND 95
ing vehicles in Australia. This was one of the largest stories of the year; the opening of Rheinmetall’s Military Vehicle Cen- tre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) in Redbank, Queensland.
The MILVEHCOE is an 11 hectare precinct incorporat- ing a regional headquarters for Rheinmetall and a manu- facturing hub that will deliver the Boxers and high mobility logistics trucks under Land 121 Phase 3B/5B.
Rheinmetall AG Chief Executive Armin Papperger said the MILVEHCOE heralded a 'new era in Australian manu- facturing' as the company transferred tech-
nology and systems from Germany.
and engagements, and is approaching the market through an industry portal hosted by local company BenchOn. Key partners in that bid include Electro-Optic Systems, Northrop-Grumman, Elbit Land Systems and Varley-Rafa- el Australia.
But while the primes seemed to be running smoothly, Defence was not. In July, Brigadier Greg McGlone, leader of Land 400 project for the past five years, was unexpect- edly and abruptly replaced.
At the opening, Rheinmetall also made a major export announcement; a $150 million order from Hungary for Australian-made Lance turrets. At least 30 of the first 46 digital Lance turrets will be supplied from Australia during Phase 1 of the program, which will eventually see Hungary acquire 218 Lynx Infantry Fighting vehicles.
“THE RHEINMETALL LYNX ANDHANWHA’SREDBACK IFV ARE ON OFFER FOR LAND 400 PHASE 3 WITH THE RMA SET TO RUN FOR MOST OF 2021.”
In August, sources told ADM that the two bidding primes for Phase 3 each re- ceived an advisory telephone call from the head of CASG’s Armoured Vehicle Divi- sion, Major General David Coghlan, less than 24 hours prior to BRIG McGlone’s re- placement on an acting basis by Sarah My- ers, Assistant Secretary in CASG’s Land Vehicle Systems branch.
In response to questions, the Department said: “A key consideration for any replace- ment will be to ensure long term continuity in the leadership of the Armoured Vehicle
As the Hungarian program ramps up,
Australian exports will grow to include a
further 127 Lance turret kits, as well as Australian-designed and manufactured products supplied by local SMEs, including automotive running gear from Adelaide’s Supashock, high capacity alternators from Al- bury’s Milspec Manufacturing and armour steel from Bis- alloy in Wollongong.
LAND 400 PHASE 3
The Rheinmetall Lynx and Hanwha’s Redback IFV are on offer for Land 400 Phase 3 with the RMA set to run for most of 2021.
A number of the companies plugged into the Lance export order are also partnered with Rheinmetall on their Austra- lian Lynx offer. Supashock, for example, is supplying shock absorbers whose base technology passed German Army en- durance testing in Trier. Similarly, one of Bisalloy Steel’s ar- mour steel grades to be used on the Boxer vehicles, known as ‘O-grade’ steel, passed German certification in June after two years of testing.
In November, Rheinmetall revealed the first of three Lynx KF41s designed, developed and man- ufactured for Phase 3.
Hanwha, for its part, rolled out two prototypes of the Redback infantry fighting vehicle at a fac- tory in Changwon in July. The prototypes were loaded onto a ship at Pyeongtaek and sent to Melbourne in August, where they were met by the company’s test support team for the begin- ning of integration activities.
The company has engaged with over 400 Aus- tralian companies through multiple roadshows
MAIN: Army has begun training with the Boxer.
RIGHT: Army has been called on to take part in a number of tasks at home from bushfire support to COVID19 roles.
program in the years ahead.”
In addition to BRIG McGlone’s replacement, the publi-
cation of the Force Structure Plan 2020 revealed that the expected cost of Land 400 Phase 3 had grown from $15 billion to as much as $27 billion.
Defence told ADM that the cost growth came down to buying more spares, a larger stockholding of munitions, and increased investment in supporting infrastructure and training ranges.
“A longer, more feasible and sustainable vehicle build scheduled in Australia also impacts the out-turned cost of the project,” the spokesperson said.
SELF-PROPELLED HOWITZERS
Another major announcement was the government’s selec- tion of Hanwha to build 30 self-propelled howitzers and 15 resupply vehicles for the ADF under a sole source smart buy- er decision for Land 8116 Phase 1 Protected Mobile Fires.
DEFENCE