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The infantry fighting vehicle, proposed for selection under the Commonwealth government’s LAND 400 Phase 3 project, is set to support the US Army’s OMFV program.
Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) has revealed it has been selected to support the Oshkosh Defense OMFV Consortium — a cooperative participating in the US Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program Concept Design Phase.
The consortium — which includes Hanwha Defense USA, Pratt Miller Defense, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, QinetiQ Inc., and Plasan — is expected to leverage the chassis technology used in HDA’s Redback infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).
The US Army's OMFV program aims to replace nearly 3,800 Bradley Fighting Vehicles among its Armored Brigade Combat Teams.
The Redback IFV is in contention for the Commonwealth government’s LAND 400 Phase 3 project — an $18 to $27 billion program to supply a fleet of up to 450 IFVs to the Australian Army.
“While the OMFV and LAND 400 requirements are different in some elements, many of the advanced capabilities could apply to both programs,” Richard Cho, Hanwha Defense Australia managing director said.
“Along with our Australian suppliers, we’ve learned a lot about the capabilities associated with a modern Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
"We look forward to working with Oshkosh Defense and Hanwha Defense USA and collectively leveraging those insights as part of the OMFV program.”
HDA is competing against Rheinmetall, which has proposed its Lynx IFV for the LAND 400 Phase 3 project.
Both platforms have completed the Risk Mitigation Activity (RMA), with a Commonwealth government decision expected this year.
HDA has also been tasked with delivering a Redback to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defense for a performance evaluation, aimed at informing the Korean future IFV program.
[Related: Risk Decisions bolsters Hanwha Defense risk management capability]
