In their Land 400 Phase 3 armaments program, the Australian armed forces want to procure a new-generation infantry fighting vehicle. As part of the tender, Rheinmetall with the Lynx KF41 and Hanwha Defense Systems with the AS21 Redback were selected as preferred bidders.
Rheinmetall has handed over the first of three Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicles to the Australian armed forces for the “Risk Mitigation Activity” that is now beginning. In the test phase, which lasts around a year, the focus is on checking effectiveness, mobility and protection. Over the next few months, the first vehicle that has now been handed over will, among other things, undergo blasting tests at military customers.
The tests are conducted across the Australian continent. The systems are exposed to tropical, subtropical and temperate climates with hot-dry, sandy and hot-humid as well as cool-humid conditions. Temperatures below zero, ice and snow are practically non-existent.
More than eleven billion euros are estimated for the project. 450 armored personnel carriers and 17 support vehicles are to be procured. The first vehicles should be ready for use from 2024. The supply of vehicles should be completed by 2030/2031.
If Australia opts for the Lynx KF41, the vehicles will be built at the new Military Vehicle Center of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) in Redbank, southwest of Brisbane in the state of Queensland. Australian companies are already involved in manufacturing the first three test vehicles.
Gerhard Heiming
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