Australia signs USD2.4 billion contract with Hanwha for IFV requirement

The Redback IFV (pictured above) weighs 42 tonnes and has a length, a width, and a height of 7.9 m, 3.64 m, and 3.75 m respectively. It has a maximum onroad speed of 65 km/h with a seating capacity for a crew of three and up to eight troops. (Hanwha Defense Australia)

The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has signed a USD2.4 billion contract with Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) to deliver 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to the Australian Army under its Land 400 Phase 3 programme, HDA said in a press release on 8 December.

According to HDA, the contract includes the development and delivery of training system and support system components until Final Acceptance (FA) in 2029, with an initial support contract for the first five years following delivery.

Hanwha said the Redback deliveries will commence in 2027, with the final vehicle set to be delivered in late 2028. “A series of eight prototype vehicles will also be manufactured in both South Korea and Australia as the programme develops,” the company added.

According to the DoD, Redbacks will be operated by the army's 3rd Armoured Combat Brigade based in Townsville.

The Australian government selected HDA to deliver 129 Redbacks in late July 2023. The Redbacks will be manufactured and assembled in Australia at Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) in Geelong, Victoria, which is scheduled to be operational from 2024.

An HDA spokesperson told Janes in August 2023 that a small initial tranche of Redbacks will be manufactured in South Korea at Changwon facility and the remainder of the fleet will be built in Australia.