New Vehicles to Protect Our Troops and Create 1450 Jobs
(Source: Australian Prime Minister’s Office; issued March 14, 2018)
Rheinmetall’s Boxer won the A$5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle competition after a three-year tender and testing process, and will be built at a new facility in Ipswich, west of Brisbane. (AUS DoD photo)
The world-class vehicles will be manufactured and delivered by Australian workers, using Australian steel, under a contract with German contractor Rheinmetall.
The 211 vehicles will provide improved safety to Australian soldiers on deployment and on exercises around the world. They will boost mobility and firepower on the battlefield in the decades ahead.
The decision to select Rheinmetall is the result of a comprehensive three-year tender and rigorous testing process, which assessed its Boxer CRV as the most capable vehicle for the Australian Defence Force.
The CRVs will undertake a range of missions, from regional stability and peacekeeping through to high-threat operations.
The Government will spend $5.2 billion to acquire the 211 vehicles, which will replace the Army’s current ageing Australian Light Armoured Vehicle fleet.
Over the 30-year life of the vehicles, Australian industry will secure two thirds, or $10.2 billion, of the total investment in acquiring and maintaining the fleet, creating up to 1450 jobs right across Australia.
Federal Cabinet also considered a bid from BAE Systems, which was set to build the light armoured vehicles in Victoria. Buying and maintaining the vehicles is expected to cost $15.7 billion.
Rheinmetall is working with more than 40 companies across Australia, ensuring the delivery of these vehicles will be a national enterprise.
This project will create jobs across Australia, including 330 in Queensland, 170 in Victoria and 140 in New South Wales during acquisition.
It presents an exciting opportunity for Australian industry to play a vital role in delivering leading-edge capability and technology to Australia’s Army.
The Turnbull Government is also spending about $235 million to upgrade facilities in Puckapunyal and Bandiana in Victoria, Adelaide, and Townsville and Enoggera in Queensland, where the vehicles will be used.
The new CRVs are part of the Turnbull Government’s $200 billion investment in our defence capability over the next decade to ensure the Australian Defence Force is equipped to succeed in our challenging strategic environment.
The Government is determined to leverage this investment to build a sovereign and sustainable defence industrial base as a national strategic asset.
Our investment decisions in defence capability are complemented by a comprehensive defence industry policy agenda to support a robust, resilient and internationally competitive defence industry, which will support jobs and investment across the country.
The Government would like to congratulate Rheinmetall and BAE Systems Australia for the quality of their tenders. They were great examples of international companies teaming with Australian industry.
(ends)
Rheinmetall Set to Supply the Australian Defence Force with Over 200 Boxer Wheeled Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicles
(Source: Rheinmetall Defence; issued March 14, 2018)
The multi-billion dollar project will see Rheinmetall deliver at least 211 of the latest generation Boxer 8x8 vehicles, with Rheinmetall's advanced Lance 30mm turret fitted to the reconnaissance variants.
Rheinmetall won the contract over BAE Systems, whose offer was based on Patria’s AMV, Boxer will replace the Australian Light Armoured Vehicle, which is shown in this picture is a much smaller vehicle. (AUS DoD photo)
To deliver the project Rheinmetall will establish a state of the art Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) near Brisbane in partnership with the Queensland State Government. The MILVEHCOE will serve as the focal point for the execution of the program and a base for the establishment of an export orientated military vehicle industrial complex in Australia. The MILVEHCOE will support the Australian Governments Defence Export Strategy that was recently announced by the Australian Minister of Defence Industry, The Honourable Christopher Pyne MP.
Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG commented, "It is a privilege for Rheinmetall to have been selected by the Australian Government to deliver this landmark military vehicle program. The program, one of the largest in the history of Rheinmetall, will continue our successful partnership with the Australian Government that has been delivering the latest generation of military trucks to the Army."
The Boxer 8x8 provides an unparalleled level of capability in a highly mobile, survivable, adaptable vehicle that will see Australia join leading nations already using the vehicle including Germany, The Netherlands and Lithuania. The Lance turret fitted to the vehicle utilises the latest technologies that allow the Boxer CRV to be uniquely aware of its environment, with advanced systems to automatically detect, characterise and track threats on the battlefield.
The turret features a range of scalable effects, including non-lethal systems, the latest air-burst cannon technologies and a guided anti-tank missile system that allows the crew to engage the most aggressive threats on the battlefield.
Ben Hudson, global head of Rheinmetall's Vehicle Systems Division, said, "We are honoured to have been chosen by the Australian Government at the conclusion of the rigorous Land 400 Phase 2 selection process. I must pay tribute to the Rheinmetall team and our Australian partners that have contributed to Land 400; their tireless dedication over the last three years will ensure that the Australian Army receives a vehicle that allows them to fight, survive and win on the battlefields of today and tomorrow."
The MILVEHCOE will allow Rheinmetall to transfer cutting edge technologies to Australia in the areas of military vehicle design, production, turret systems, sensors, survivability, simulation and through life support. This transfer of technology, coupled with the scale of the Land 400 based Australian design and manufacturing, will underpin the establishment of an export oriented military vehicle industry that will collaborate with academic institutions in companion technologies and see significant development in small to medium businesses around Australia that cooperate with Rheinmetall through the MILVEHCOE.
After two years of extensive industry engagement, Rheinmetall has identified over 40 companies from around Australia that will form part of a globally competitive military vehicle industry. Some of the businesses that will contribute to the truly national Rheinmetall Boxer CRV program include:
-- MILSPEC and Bisalloy from New South Wales,
-- Supashock from South Australia,
-- Nioa and Penske from Queensland,
-- Direct Edge from Tasmania,
-- Supacat, Tectonica and Cablex from Victoria, and
-- Hoffman Engineering from Western Australia.
Gary Stewart, Managing Director of Rheinmetall Defence Australia, said "The Land 400 program will enable the Australian Army to receive the best CRV capability for their needs, and create a long term, economic benefit for Australia. Rheinmetall's investment in the MILVEHCOE will enrich the economy in the high technology advanced manufacturing sector and broaden employment in defence across the nation. In doing so, we will create a strong sovereign military vehicle industry that allows Australian companies to innovate, compete and win globally."
Rheinmetall sets the global standard for excellence in a wide array of disciplines and offers an extensive array of military hardware that delivers mobility, lethality, survivability of troops, reconnaissance capability and networking of national and international systems. Rheinmetall Defence Australia and New Zealand is a subsidiary of Rheinmetall AG, with offices in Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane.
- For more information about BOXER CRV visit: www.boxercrv.com.au
(ends)
New Army Vehicles to Protect Our Troops
(Source: Australian Department of Defence; issued March 14, 2018)
The world-class vehicles will be manufactured and delivered by Australian workers, using Australian steel, under a contract with German contractor Rheinmetall.
The 211 vehicles will provide improved safety to Australian soldiers on deployment and on exercises around the world. They will boost mobility and firepower on the battlefield in the decades ahead.
The decision to select Rheinmetall is the result of a comprehensive three-year tender and rigorous testing process, which assessed its Boxer CRV as the most capable vehicle for the Australian Defence Force.
The CRVs will undertake a range of missions, from regional stability and peacekeeping through to high-threat operations.
The Government will spend $5.2 billion to acquire the 211 vehicles, which will replace the Army’s current ageing Australian Light Armoured Vehicle fleet.
Over the 30-year life of the vehicles, Australian industry will secure two thirds, or $10.2 billion, of the total investment in acquiring and maintaining the fleet.
Rheinmetall is working with more than 40 companies across Australia, ensuring the delivery of these vehicles will be a national enterprise.
It presents an exciting opportunity for Australian industry to play a vital role in delivering leading-edge capability and technology to Australia’s Army.
The Government is also spending about $235 million to upgrade facilities in Puckapunyal and Bandiana in Victoria, Adelaide, and Townsville and Enoggera in Queensland, where the vehicles will be used.
The new CRVs are part of the Government’s $200 billion investment in our defence capability over the next decade to ensure the Australian Defence Force is equipped to succeed in our challenging strategic environment.
The Government is determined to leverage this investment to build a sovereign and sustainable defence industrial base as a national strategic asset.
These decisions in defence capability are complemented by a comprehensive defence industry policy agenda to support a robust, resilient and internationally competitive defence industry, which will support jobs and investment across the country.
The Government would like to congratulate Rheinmetall and BAE Systems Australia for the quality of their tenders. They were great examples of international companies teaming with Australian industry.
-ends-
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