Hanwha Defense said it recently signed a contract with Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group of Australia to supply three prototypes of the 40.5 billion won Redback armored vehicle.
This is a follow-up contract that was made after the Australian government selected Redback of Hanwha Defense and Lynx of Rheinmetall Defence of Germany as the final shortlists in the Land400 Phase3 project on June 16.
The Australian military is currently working on the Land400 Phase 3 project to purchase 400 units of next-generation infantry fighting armored vehicles and eight types of series vehicles. Out of the total project cost between 8 and 12 trillion won, approximately 5 trillion won were set aside for equipment acquisition alone.
Under the deal, Hanwha Defense will supply three prototypes to the Australian government by the second half of 2020, and will compete fiercely with the German armored vehicles through a one-year test assessment of the final operator selection at the end of 2021.
Hanwha Defense's Redback armored vehicle is a futuristic orbital armored vehicle that has strengthened its capabilities in defense and firepower based on the K21 infantry fighting armored vehicle development technology already proven in the Korean military and the K9 self-propelled artillery's power pack solution.