New Armoured Vehicles Contract Signed
(Source: Australian Prime Minister; issued Aug. 17, 2018)
Australia will spend A$5.2 billion on its contract to buy 211 Boxer wheeled armored combat reconnaissance vehicles, of which A$3.3 billion will go to Rheinmetall, the main contractor which will assemble the vehicles in Australia. (RhM photo)
These world class vehicles will be built by Australian workers, using Australian steel, creating up to 1450 high-tech, highly skilled jobs across Australia.
The Rheinmetall Boxer vehicles replace the ASLAVs (Australian Light Armoured Vehicle), which are more than 20 years old, and will ensure Australian soldiers have the best possible chance of completing their missions successfully and returning home safe to their families.
Fitted with modern sensors and communications equipment, their role is to locate, monitor and engage with enemy forces and provide security to our forces.
The vehicles will fill seven different roles on the battlefield including reconnaissance, command and control, joint fires, surveillance, ambulance, battlefield repair and recovery.
The total acquisition cost of the vehicles is $5.2 billion. The Australian industry content of the project was raised significantly through the tender process to over 50 per cent, demonstrating the benefits of Defence and industry working together. Australian industry will contribute over 75% for sustainment of the vehicles.
This nation building project highlights the benefits to our servicemen and women, Australian industry and workers stemming from the Turnbull Government’s commitment to developing and supporting Australia’s defence industry while investing in our military capability.
The workforce that will deliver the Boxer vehicles will continue to be used to support sustainment, progressive development and upgrades as well as potential export opportunities.
With the contract now signed, the largest acquisition project in the history of the Australian Army can progress with the first vehicles expected to be available for training in 2020.
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Rheinmetall Wins Contract Worth Over €2 Billion: Australia Orders 211 Boxer Wheeled Armoured Vehicles
(Source: Rheinmetall; issued Aug. 17, 2018)
The contract was signed at Parliament House in Canberra today by the Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull and the Managing Director of Rheinmetall Defence Australia Gary Stewart. Delivery of the advanced 8x8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) will take place between 2019 and 2026.
The selection of the Boxer CRV ensures Rheinmetall will play a key role in the comprehensive modernisation of the Australia's armed forces. Mr Turnbull first announced his government's intention to order the fleet of Boxer vehicles in March 2018.
Rheinmetall AG Chief Executive Armin Papperger said it was a great honour for the company to be chosen as a partner by the Australian Government at such an important time for the ADF.
"This demonstrates, in no uncertain terms, the continued successful cooperation between Rheinmetall and the Government and Armed Forces of Australia," Mr Papperger said. "As a company, we are extremely pleased to have secured one of the biggest orders in the recent history of Rheinmetall."
The Boxer vehicle is already in service with, or being procured by, the armed forces of Germany, the Netherlands and Lithuania. The ADF will introduce several variants of the Boxer with the reconnaissance variant – accounting for 133 of the 211 vehicles – equipped with Rheinmetall's cutting-edge Lance turret system and armed with a 30mm automatic cannon.
The Boxer CRV was selected after rigorous trials conducted by the ADF. Under Australia's LAND 400 Phase 2 selection process, the Boxer CRV was chosen in 2016 as one of two candidates for Risk Mitigation Activity trials where the 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle performed convincingly in the categories of survivability, mobility, firepower, and command & control.
Rheinmetall is co-operating closely with Australian defence industry, having established a strong, highly effective team in the country. A significant share of the industrial value added during production of the Boxer will take place in country. More than 40 Australian companies will be included in the programme. Head of Rheinmetall's Vehicle Systems Division Ben Hudson said the Boxer CRV is the most capable, survivable and adaptable field-armoured fighting vehicle available today.
"The Boxer CRV is highly protected against both asymmetric threats that have been faced by Australian soldiers in recent operations, while also being highly protected against conventional battlefield threats that our soldiers may face one day in a conventional war-fighting scenario," Mr Hudson said.
"We look forward to building on our successful Land 121 program and extending the trustful partnership we have with the Australian Government and our Australian suppliers and partners into Land 400 to deliver an outstanding combat vehicle to the Australian Army."
Mr Stewart said production of the Boxer vehicles would take place in a dedicated new facility in Queensland in partnership with the Queensland Government.
"This will allow us to establish as sovereign military vehicle industry in Australia that will underpin the enduring partnership with the Government to design, manufacture, deliver, support and modernise this world-leading capability," Mr Stewart said.
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.
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