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Hanwha Defence Australia and Penske Australia have signed an acquisition contract to locally assemble, test and supply 129 engines for the Redback infantry fighting vehicles under LAND 400 Phase 3.
The agreement was celebrated at the Avalon Airshow, held next to the Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) in Victoria, where the vehicles will be built.
Under the contract, Penske Australia will oversee the local assembly and acceptance testing of the Rolls-Royce Power Systems mtu MT881-Ka500 engine – an eight-cylinder, 735kW (around 1,000hp) diesel unit with a strong global reputation for performance and reliability.
The engine has already powered over 3,000 military vehicles worldwide, including the Huntsman vehicles being procured under the Commonwealth’s LAND 8116 Phase 1 project. Penske will deliver the fully tested engines to H-ACE in Avalon, where they will be integrated into a powerpack for installation in the Redback vehicle.
“This significant agreement enhances our long-standing support of Australian Defence Force platforms, both land and sea, while further strengthening our partnership with Hanwha Defence Australia – a key industry capability provider and valued member of our global supply chain,” said Hamish Christie-Johnston, managing director of Penske Australia.
Dean Michie, acting managing director of Hanwha Defence Australia, added, “We are proud to be working with Penske to deliver the engines for LAND 400 Phase 3, supporting our major land programs here in Australia. Penske has a long history of working with leading Defence companies to support the ADF and we are continuing that tradition.”
Hanwha Defence Australia was awarded the tender for the AU$5–7 billion LAND 400 Phase 3 program to replace the nation’s ageing fleet of Cold War-era M113AS4 armoured personnel carriers. The government’s Defence Strategic Review led to a reduction from the originally proposed 450 vehicles, as outlined in the 2020 Defence Strategic Update Force Structure Plan.
Australia’s fleet of 129 infantry fighting vehicles will be built domestically at the AU$170 million Hanwha Defence Australia facility, which is also set to deliver the Australian Army’s future AS9 Huntsman 155mm self-propelled howitzers.
The Redback program is expected to generate approximately AU$9 billion in economic value nationwide, create 600 direct jobs and over 1,000 jobs across the Australian supply chain, with an estimated AU$5.7 billion generated in Victoria alone.
