Hanwha Defense has teamed up with Oshkosh Defense for the digital design phase of the U.S. Army’s next-generation combat vehicle program. Photo courtesy of Hanwha Defense, Oshkosh Defense

Hanwha joins hands with Oshkosh for OMFV program

Hanwha Defense said on April 20 that it had signed an exclusive teaming agreement with Oshkosh Defense, one of the leading U.S. defense companies, for the digital design phase of the U.S. Army’s next-generation combat vehicle program. 

The OMFV program is a key element of the U.S. Army’s Next-Generation Combat Vehicle modernization effort that includes replacing the M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, which has seen service since the early 1980's.

The program’s five-phase acquisition plan will award the first contract in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2021, with the first units receiving their OMFVs in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2028. 

“Bringing together the heritage of two innovative, reliable, and successful land systems companies gives me great confidence that Hanwha and Oshkosh, with our other consortium partners, will deliver the next generation Infantry Fighting Vehicle the American Soldier clearly deserves,” said the head of Hanwha Defense’s U.S. operations, Lieutenant General Bernard S. Champoux, US Army, Retired.  

Hanwha said that it shares Oshkosh’s demonstrated passion for quality and responsiveness to the customer. Like Australian and other partner countries’ local production, Hanwha’s contribution to the OMFV solution will be built in America with American labor, according to the firm.

Going global

A defense business arm of Hanwha Group, Hanwha Defense is the leading wheeled and tracked combat vehicle and weapons systems developer in South Korea.

It boasts of a half century of accumulated experience, capabilities, and technology in multiple direct and indirect fire solutions. 

Expanding its global vision, Hanwha Defense has provided over 7,000 cutting-edge combat vehicles to the South Korean government and exports to such countries as Malaysia, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Turkey, and India. 

Hanwha Defense’s participation in the OMFV program is followed by its recent success in key combat vehicle acquisition programs for the Australian Army.  

Hanwha Defense has designed and is developing an advanced infantry fighting vehicle, dubbed the Redback, for Australia.

The Seoul-based company notes that the vehicle is equipped with enhanced lethality, excellent power, superior situational awareness, and best protection in class. 

The Redback was shortlisted in 2019 as one of the two candidates for the LAND 400 Phase 3 program designed to introduce next-generation tracked armored infantry fighting vehicles.

Three prototypes of the Redback are now undergoing tests and evaluations for the Australian Army’s Risk Mitigation Activity.  

Hanwha Defense was also selected in 2020 as the preferred supplier of the AS9 Self-Propelled Howitzer and AS10 Armored Ammunition Resupply Vehicle for the Australian Army’s LAND 8116 program.
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