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.

BAE Systems demonstrated its new counter unmanned aerial systems Armoured Multi Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) during a live fire in Kingman, Arizona. (BAE Systems)

The newly designed 120 mm mortar variant of the Armoured Multi Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) will make its debut at the annual Maneuver Warfighter Conference in September 2024, Bill Sheehy, AMPV programme director at BAE Systems told Janes on 30 November.

BAE Systems first told Janes in September that it was delivering the prototype for Patria's 120 mm New Mortar (NEMO) and Kongsberg turret programme in January 2024. The prototype is still on track for first delivery, and the army plans to perform a live-fire demonstration at the September conference to show off its progress, Sheehy said in an interview.

The prototype represents BAE System's first official foray into broadening AMPV configurations, which the company hopes will highlight the flexibility of the platform. The turret is attached to the vehicle using the Ex-MEP (Mission Equipment Package), which can accommodate most remotely operated weapons stations.

The BAAINBw has ordered 50 Dingo 2 A4.1 armoured vehicles from KNDS. (Bundeswehr)

The Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw), Germany's Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support, and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann + Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS) announced on 30 November that they had signed a contract for 50 Dingo 2 A4.1 armoured vehicles the day before. KNDS said in a press release that the vehicles would replace Dingo 2s transferred by the Bundeswehr to Ukraine.

The budget committee of the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, on 16 November approved funding for the procurement, which the German Ministry of Defence valued at approximately EUR150 million (USD163 million). The procurement will be paid for by the German government's Enable and Enhance Initiative to support partner states with military materiel and training. The vehicles are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2026.

Germany supplied 50 Dingo 2s to Ukraine, according to the German government's list of military aid delivered to Kyiv. A BAAINBw spokesperson told Janes