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Hanwha Defense Australia has engaged Kongsberg Defence Australia as the C4 integration partner under the Commonwealth’s LAND 8116 Phase 1 program to acquire AS9 Self Propelled Howitzers and AS10 Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehicles.
Valued at $67 million, the agreement would see Kongsberg Defence Australia deliver C4 systems to the prime and support the integration of the capabilities into the broader C4 Force Structure for the Australian Army.
According to KONGSBERG, this broader integration is expected to include the incorporation of the Battle Management System and tactical communication systems for the assets into the ADF’s CORTEX Integrated Combat Solution (ICS) system and Odin Fire Control System.
To achieve this, KONGSBERG will facilitate the transference of technologies to Kongsberg Defence Australia.
“Kongsberg Defence Australia’s contribution will be integral in delivering the Australian Army with a highly capable and networked Self Propelled Howitzer capability. This contract builds upon a proven and successful global partnership between Hanwha and KONGSBERG,” Richard Cho, managing director of Hanwha Defense Australia said.
“KONGSBERG has an excellent reputation for delivering fully integrated C4 systems with exceptional functionality and reliability, and we are delighted to be partnering with them here in Australia.”
The engagement is expected to create up to 30 additional Australian jobs.
Kjetil Myhra, executive vice president of Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, explained how KONGSBERG remains ready to support Australia by facilitating the transfer of expertise in defence technology.
“For nearly three decades, KONGSBERG has demonstrated commitment to transfer world leading technology to Australia and Project LAND 8116 provides another great opportunity to do so,” Myhra said.
“During the program, KONGSBERG will provide our Kongsberg Defence Australia personnel with detailed expertise on our CORTEX Integrated Combat Solution architecture and Odin Fire Control System to generate a sovereign C4 capability for the Australian Army’s Protected Mobile Fires capability.”
John Fry, general manager of Kongsberg Defence Australia, explained that KONGSBERG’s C4 solution is a “proven” technology.
“The AS9 Huntsman Howitzers will provide Army with a lethal fires capability that is highly manoeuvrable and survivable,” Fry explained.
“KONGSBERG’s Fire Control Solutions are based on our proven and open digital architecture which is now core to both the Australian Army’s Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) and Protected Mobile Fires programs. These systems provide a rich and intuitive user interface tailored specifically for different weapon systems and operator roles.”
The agreement comes off the back of a recent milestone for KONGSBERG with the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS).
In January, KONGSBERG confirmed that the first Mk 2 Canister Launchers for the NASAMS have passed their Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), achieving the first major production milestone for the Commonwealth’s LAND 19 Phase 7B project.
Following the tests, KONGSBERG confirmed that the products form the first shipment of Canister Launchers to Australia under the Commonwealth defence program.
In 2019, Raytheon Australia was selected as the prime contractor for the LAND 19 Phase 7B project with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace and Kongsberg Defence Australia supporting the prime's delivery of Short-Range Ground-Based Air Defence capabilities to the ADF. The NASAMS Ground Based Air Defence weapons system is currently used by, or in the process of procurement by, 12 nations across the world, and is jointly developed by KONGSBERG and Raytheon Technologies.
[Related: KONGSBERG achieves NASAMS test milestone]
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