Let the battles begin – LAND 400 Phase 3 evaluations
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The multi-billion dollar investment in Army’s close-combat vehicles has reached a significant milestone with six prototype test and evaluation vehicles from the project’s two shortlisted tenderers ready to rumble.
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CAPTION: Hanwa’s Redback, left, and, Rheinmetall’s Lynx infantry fighting vehicles as delivered to Defence for test and evaluation for Project LAND 400 Phase 3. Photos supplied by Defence.
Project LAND 400 Phase 3, valued at up to $27.1billion will provide the Army with an advanced infantry fighting vehicle capability.
Hanwha Defense Australia and Rheinmetall Defence Australia have each delivered three prototype vehicles – two for test and evaluation activities and one for blast testing – as part of a two-year risk mitigation activity.
Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said the delivery of the prototype vehicles was a crucial step in the project, allowing Defence to assess the shortlisted tenderers’ performance claims, focusing on the areas of highest technical risk.
“These significant activities include Australian soldiers participating in user evaluation and testing, with a particular focus on the armour, firepower and mobility of the platforms,” Minister Reynolds said.
“The risk mitigation activity will undertake important analysis on each vehicle’s ability to integrate with other key ADF land, sea and air capabilities, including amphibious lift.
“Infantry fighting vehicles are a state-of-the-art tracked armoured vehicle, capable of carrying six soldiers in addition to a crew of three.
“These advanced vehicles will provide increased protection, mobility, and firepower for the ADF.”
The project will acquire up to 450 infantry fighting vehicles and a manoeuvre-support-vehicle capability of up to 17 vehicles.
Minister Reynolds said the risk mitigation activity would include detailed testing and evaluation of the tendered vehicles and provide Defence with the objective quality evidence it would need to inform a government decision in 2022.
“When delivered, the infantry fighting vehicle will allow Army to successfully sustain mounted close-combat operations against emerging and future threats as part of the joint force.”
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The lynx will be the one. A huge restructure of manning,tactics, logistics is now to be decided. Allready talk the vehicles will be crewed by armoured corps people and the vehicles hired out to infantry battalions like the old days of B 3/4 and the carriers. The vehicles are too high tech to managed by infantry because it would mean a seperate career path due to respective skill levels. Things like gunnery on the 30mm is a specialist skill as well as crew commander. So I reckon we will see armoured units re raised in each brigade who are responsible for the vehicles then attached to each battalion as tasks require. Dsys of autonomous mech battalions are gone. Too high tech and maintenance and logistics are way beyond the capacity of present structures.
I have been there and done both streams
Cheers
Dave Kelly
You raise some really valid points Dave. Even though the Lynx is officially an IFV – I would suggest that some will be will be used as an Armoured Recce Vehicles (ARV) – but then why not have a Northrupp Grumman Bushmaster 50MM (XM 913) Gun mounted on the ARV and leave the Troop Lift vehicles (APC – Battle Taxis) with a 30MM RWS Gun for the Assault Troops.
Certainly if the Lynx is selected then it must be operated by RAAC Specialist personnel in dedicated RAAC units and leave the more lightly armoured and armed Korean Hanwha Redback to the Infantry.
Unfortunately, what we think would be logical and what the Army/ADF/DoD people think in Canberra are usually very different things, with very different outcomes.
Keep up the good work Dave
Hi Iain,
Yes indeed the disconnect between what is required on the ground to what is discussed and decided in the ice palace is glowingly huge and needs to be addressed before we waste billions more.
I doubt the lynx will be used as a ARV because the boxer is slated to cover the CRV role and couldn’t imagine having two completely different logistics chain in one unit . We can’t manage what we have at the moment when they split 2 Cav and 1 Armd into the 3 brigades. The support chain stayed the same size but was split 3 ways so way less efficient.
They better start taking there head out of thier a..e before long and realise the importance of getting it all happening before the release of the vehicles .
Cheers
The Lynx for America has 50mm Bushmaster which the Redback can easily take. The Redback is more mobile just as well armoured. Redback is just as if not more advanced than the Lynx, you are not right
How did we arrive at the figure of Qty 450 new IFV?