Queensland government backs Rheinmetall LAND 400 Phase 3 bid

Rheinmetall today announced it had secured the support of the Queensland government in its bid to supply the Commonwealth’s $18 -$27 billion LAND 400 Phase 3 program from its new Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence at Redbank, near Brisbane.

CAPTION: Lynx KF41 in Australia for risk mitigation testing. Photo supplied by Rheinmetall.

Rheinmetall Defence Australia and the Queensland government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that reaffirms a close working partnership to further develop enduring and sovereign Australian Defence industry in Queensland and Australia.

Both partners will also look to foster further industrial innovation, research and development, skills development and training.

The State government backed Rheinmetall’s Boxer 8×8 combat reconnaissance vehicle for the LAND 400 Phase 2 program in 2017 and later partnered with the company to establish the MILVEHCOE (Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence) as a national hub for military vehicle technology.

MILVEHCOE is now in the early stages of commissioning ahead of the transition to full Boxer production in 2023.

Rheinmetall Defence Australia Managing Director Gary Stewart said the partnership with Queensland was critical to the company’s offer for LAND 400 Phase 3.

“Every Rheinmetall employee understands that equipping the Australian Defence Force with the most advanced combat and logistics capabilities is our primary objective,” Mr Stewart said.

“It is what drives us and it underpins our partnership with the Queensland government to establish MILVEHCOE as a sovereign industrial manufacturing base for Australia to deliver programs such as LAND 400 Phase 3.

“[This partnership] has enabled the company to invest heavily to establish a facility that is both a manufacturing contributor to Rheinmetall’s domestic and global programs and a focal point for Australian military-vehicle technology development.”

The Australian Army needs up to 450 new IFVs.

Rheinmetall has offered the Commonwealth the Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicle.

Lynx is a tracked, highly protected IFV designed to meet stringent military requirements.

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