Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA) has selected Axalta Coating Systems as the paint partner to work on the painting of the AS21 Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle being acquired under Land 400 Phase 3.
“We’ve been working with Axalta on paint and coatings for the Huntsman family of vehicles and we were pleased to continue that relationship for the Redback fleet,” HDA’s Director of Programs, Alecia Millard, said.
“The work being done by our in-house paint shop team at the Hanwha Armoured vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) with the support of Axalta means that we have an experienced team to make sure one of the last steps in production is fit for purpose.”
This contract builds on the successful partnership between the two companies after the 2024 signing of a similar contract for the Huntsman family of vehicles under Land 8116.
Representatives of the companies celebrated the milestone at the Land Forces Conference in Perth on Tuesday 6 October on the Hanwha stand.
“Axalta is extremely proud to extend our partnership with Hanwha into this next exciting fleet of vehicles,” Axalta’s Military Program Manager, Michael Busch, said.
“The strong relationship that has been developed over many years between our teams, both here and in South Korea will ensure the finished product delivered to the Commonwealth will be of the highest possible quality, and provide the greatest possible support to Australian soldiers.”
Axalta’s military team have worked closely with Hanwha in both Australia and Korea, demonstrating a range of military coatings, specialist application training, and ongoing technical support to meet the highest standards required.
The vehicles will be required to operate in demanding environments for decades to come, so paint products must stand up to these challenging exposure demands, with maintenance requirements kept to a minimum.