Minecorp joins Rheinmetall on Australian IFV project

Minecorp Australia has announced that it is partnering Rheinmetall Defence Australia (RDA) in producing components for its Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).

Brisbane-based Minecorp said on 11 January that it is supplying a range of “critical bracketry and vehicle components” for the Lynx as the vehicle undergoes trials for the Australian Army’s Land 400 Phase 3 procurement project.

In November RDA unveiled the first of three Lynx IFVs that will compete in evaluation trials for the Land 400 Phase 3 contract.

Rheinmetall is delivering the vehicles as part of a Risk Mitigation Activity (RMA) set to be conducted in Australia over a 12-month period. The trials will incorporate tests including lethality, mobility, and protection.

In November RDA also announced that another local firm, Queensland Gaskets, will support its bid for the contract with supplies of gaskets and sealing devices for the Lynx. At that time, RDA said that it was expanding the number of small local firms that were involved in its bid for the contract.

Another local partner on the Lynx is the Bisalloy Steel Group, which is also supplying armour steel for the Boxer 8×8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs) that RDA is building for the Australian Army under Land 400 Phase 2. This contract – valued at about USD2.5 billion – was awarded to RDA in 2018.

In the Phase 3 contract, Rheinmetall is competing against Hanwha Defense Australia’s (HDA’s) Redback IFV. The two companies were shortlisted in 2019.

If RDA wins the contract, which is expected to be worth more than USD13 billion, the company has proposed to build the Lynx in Queensland at its new Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) at Redbank, southwest of Brisbane.