M113 replacement decision officially postponed
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The decision as to which infantry fighting vehicle currently under consideration by the Australian Army should replace M113 has been officially deferred.
FILE PHOTO: Rheinmetall’s KF41 Lynx, left, and Hanwha’s Redback, dwarf the M113 APC one of them will(?) replace. Defence image.
Selection of the winner in the LAND 400 Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle project was in its very final stages of decision making, with a two-year, very-expensive Risk Mitigation Activity completed more than a year ago and Defence’s preference scheduled to have been communicated to the government earlier this year.
Today’s news will delay the announcement by perhaps a year – and may not be pleasing to Defence or the competing manufacturers when eventually handed down.
In fact, with the project so close to final rubber-stamp stage, this delay could easily be interpreted as a threat to the whole project [Editor’s opinion].
In today’s official announcement, Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the Albanese Government would consider the findings of the Defence Strategic Review before deciding on the tender for the project.
“The Defence Strategic Review will make recommendations on priorities for investing in Australia’s defence capability and posture, to meet the nation’s security challenges over the next decade and beyond,” Mr Conroy said.
“It is responsible for the decision on a procurement worth between $18 billion and $27 billion to be informed by the findings of the review.
“The government remains focused on Australia’s future defence capability [but] we don’t want to pre-empt the findings of the review, which is especially critical given the rapidly changing strategic circumstances facing our nation.”
The final report from the Defence Strategic Review is due to be delivered to the government early next year.
Mr Conroy thanked Hanwha, Rheinmetall and the many other companies involved in the LAND 400 Phase 3 tender process for their understanding and professionalism.
Announced by the Albanese Government in August this year, the current Defence Strategic Review is being conducted by former Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and former Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal (retd) Angus Houston.
The review will examine force structure, force posture and preparedness, and investment prioritisation, to ensure Defence has the right capabilities to meet Australia’s growing strategic needs.
Professor Smith and Sir Angus are expected to deliver the review and its recommendations to government “no later than March 2023”, according to the review terms of reference.
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Are we replacing APC with an AFV? ASLAV drivers kept trying to make the point ” I am not a tank” . This is a good move. At least to reconcile against the Ukraine war. We can do better.
What does Russia’s poor training and poor use of combined arms have to do with any well trained western army. Listening to the horrified Russian intercepts alone gives a clear picture of Russias lack of capability when handling Ukrainian armour.
So realistically the ADF must be starting to feel quite uncomfortable now, as we are in the same trouble now with replacement AFVs, as we are with replacement Submarines – the old ones have been retired before the new ones are available. The Govo’s have got rid of the M113s and Bushmasters to the old mates in Ukraine, and we are left with no replacements. Good move girls – watch out Ronny RAAF your planes are next……
Labor have always sold this country out! They don’t understand defence matters properly as almost every single Labor pollie has never served! How can they possibly relate? They always acquiesce to China. We are doomed and our youth will never defend us again as they once did. We may as well raise the Chinese flag over Parliament in Canberra and be done with it and make it official.
As usual, we have the best offered up, designed for our specific needs, and Albo and his sycophants will opt for a cheaper option, perhaps designed and made in China
We need all the money we can save so we can send $2 Trillon dollars to overseas countries to say sorry. What a joke.
I’m a bit surprised, I thought the submarines would first to be chopped.
The best way to have no war is to be ready for war. But if you’re a politician all that matters is being re-elected, so flitter away defence money in your city electorate.
I suppose there’s still plenty of time to chop the subs, ‘The Defence Strategic Review’ (read, “what can we chop and waste in my city electorate”) shock, is still coming. There will be more!
Ukrainians like the M113, Labor thinks – well if they are that good maybe we should keep them.
Defense review under a Labor lead is a cost cutting mission, nothing more.
Here we go again.
Completely agree John; just another Labor fishing expedition and part of their Plan to delay as much Defence decision making as possible; delay means building in vulnerabilty!
The ADF badly needs the more lethal platforms; NO delay is acceptable!
Labour has never in all my service life like the country’s insurance policy aka Defence. Never liked Labor, never will. Possible war times ahead and Labor don’t give a shit to supply our service men and women with the best. Damm labour to hell.
Labor party are a bunch of hypocrites.
Funny how we forget so quickly who actually spent what we didn’t have the lieberals spent and filled there pockets with our monies this is actually why we can’t have the toy’s we need to protect us so who actually sold us out yes the lieberals have and did example NSW… Howard sold the water rights yes NSW sold out electricity grid next we will have to buy electric car parked at only one place mark my words MacDonald’s this is what Gladys bejurcoff left us with …
And yet the Labor party have a long-standing record of cutting defence to ribbons and maintaining unhealthy ties to communists and socialists, it’s always been the running joke in defence, if the Labor party in power then defence has no capability until Labor are ousted again.
Let’s not even get started on their unhealthy ties to China and the like.
Comments seem to be currently “Waaah no new toys!” completely ignoring the fact the last 9 months have been a live show of modern warfare against a Chinese peer military. We’re seeing the use case for every weapon system the West can muster and you know what’s not having a great showing? AFVs.
Maybe spend some time not crying about what has happened and think about why. 27 billion can buy a lot more Javelins than what we currently have and our MANPADS situation is deplorable. Both are critically important in 21st century warfare.
Your comment shows your total lack of knowledge (along with the Russians) on modern Armoured warfare. Without direct Infantry support Armoured warfare is usually doomed to failure (as seen in Ukraine), however, any military force without combined arms will eventually be routed. Every effective military in the modern world base their forces around an effective Armoured presence.
What does Russia’s poor training and lack of combined arms tactics have to do with any well trained western army? What about the total failure of Chinese equipment and military grade tires in Ukraine? not important at all hey…. It’s amazing to think there’s countless horrified Russian intercepts and drone footage clearly documenting how Russian troops react when engaged.
A long hard look at what is happening in Ukraine might give some insights into what a `modern’ battlefield looks like. The `Orange’ team will not be an ill-equipped force in the future. Smart equipment and systems are making the difference in the field. Do we have an observation team on the ground 9in Ukraine) instead of doing a TEWT in between lunch and dinner in an air-conditioned office in Canberra?
Many years of effort and money spent to pick the best for Australia ….and it’s “delayed” so some sycophants can do a quickie review of future needs …
Obviously, the current government doesn’t know what a Defence White Paper is …??? ….. and hopefully any near future adversaries will still be using 7.62 x 39mm …. Because the current M113 can mostly stop those rounds fortunately
Bruce, yes the M113 can stop up to .30 calibre, but not .50’s, let alone mortars dropped from drones as theyre doing in the Unkraine…..Si vis pacem para bellum……Old Roman saying still as pertinent today as 2000 years ago…..
Many years of effort and money spent to pick the best for Australia ….and it’s “delayed” so some sycophants can do a quickie review of future needs …
Obviously, the current government doesn’t know what a Defence White Paper is …??? ….. and hopefully any near future adversaries will still be using 7.62 x 39mm …. Because the current M113 can mostly stop those rounds fortunately
China said ‘NO’ Labor said ‘Sarp!’
The former Minister for Defence, Treasurer and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Scott ‘Autism’ Morrison has (have?!) a lot to answer for.
So glad that happy clapper faithtard is out of office. Can’t believe he tried to take over the entire government. All religious people care about is control.
Agree entirely, imagine if he had signed himself into Defence. He could then order the Army to attack non-believers!!!!
SCOMO wanted what all lieberals want in this country is to be the first dictatorship it was them who actually lost us our triple A rating … Remember this fact that it was Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd who actually got us out of dept and SCOMO put us into dept’s we can not get back because of to much privatisation of the government…