Land 400 partners BAE Systems Australia and Patria have announced that RUAG Australia will manufacture ballistic armour for the AMV35 offered for the $5 billion Phase 2 component of the program.
The advanced high-level protection for the Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV) will be produced at RUAG's Bayswater facility in Victoria, and RUAG Switzerland will transfer the technology to the local subsidiary.
The technology and capability transfer also will provide RUAG Australia with export opportunities, delivering further benefits for Australia, according to Patria senior VP Janne Räkköläinen, who said it was an example of how the company collaborated with supply chain partners on a global scale.
“We have a proven and unique track record of localising production and supply chains.”
The ballistic armour selected for the AMV35 is a multi-material protection system that is combat tested and mission-proven.
RUAG Australia MD John Teager said inclusion of RUAG appliqué armour strengthened the Australian Industry Content (AIC) of BAE's bid.
“Already in service with a number of western armies, RUAG’s appliqué armour is mission-proven and is a natural choice for BAE Systems’ Land 400 Phase 2 solution.”
RUAG offers a number of alternatives for ballistic protection, as depicted in this video hosted on the company website:
The AMV35 is lighter than its competitor for Phase 2, Rheinmetall's Boxer CRV, by approximately eight tonnes, depending on the load configuration. Defence is placing a heavy emphasis on armour protection for its evaluation of the two tenders, and according to a recent ASPI report, both vehicles have scope for the armour fit-out to be adjusted depending on the scope of the mission.
Proving AIC has been an important part of Land 400 Phase 2, indeed for Defence acquisiton going forward, and new BAE Systems Australia CEO Gabby Costigan said the partnership would bring new know-how into Australia, developing local sophisticated military technology capability that saves lives: “It builds on BAE Systems’ unique track record of localising production and supply chains, something we can do with low risk and high value for Australia”.