Hanwha Aerospace’s Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle is seen in this undated file photo provided by the company.
SEOUL, July 27 (Korea Bizwire) – Hanwha Defense Australia on Thursday beat Germany’s Rheinmetall to be named as the preferred bidder for Australia’s acquisition project for a next-generation infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), Seoul’s arms procurement agency said.
The Australia-based subsidiary of Hanwha Aerospace, a major South Korean defense firm, was chosen as the preferred candidate for the Land 400 Phase 3 program with its Redback IFV over Rheinmetall’s Lynx KF-41 armored vehicle, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
Under the project worth up to US$4.7 billion, the Australian Army seeks to acquire 129 new IFVs to replace its M113 armored personnel carriers, which entered service in 1964.
The Australian government said in a release that the new vehicles will be built at Hanwha’s facilities in the country’s southeastern Geelong region.
Hanwha is expected to begin the IFV delivery in early 2027 — two years earlier than initially planned — and complete its shipment requirement of 129 units by late 2028, it added.
DAPA said the latest result is based on the various efforts made by the company, as well as support from the government, including the presidential national security office, the defense ministry and the foreign ministry.
“The export of the Redback IFV is expected to promote cooperation between the two countries’ defense companies and greatly contribute to increasing the defense capabilities of South Korea and Australia, and regional arms industry cooperation,” DAPA said in a release.
A finalized deal would mark South Korea’s second ground-based military equipment export to Australia after clinching a deal to supply the country with K9 self-propelled howitzers in December 2021.
South Korea has recently made efforts to bolster defense ties with Australia, with the defense chiefs of the two countries agreeing to strengthen arms industry cooperation in their meeting in Seoul in May.
(Yonhap)
