Hanwha Defense’s infantry fighting vehicle, named the “Redback,” is on display during the Land Forces 2021 in Brisbane. The tracked armored vehicle is now competing to win a mega-sized government project of Australia. Photo courtesy of Hanwha Defense

The Land Forces 2021 attracts more than 700 companies

Hanwha Defense said on June 1 that the Seoul-based outfit showed off its latest products, including the K9 self-propelled howitzer, at the Land Forces 2021 in Brisbane.

Also on display was the defense giant’s fifth-generation infantry fighting vehicle, dubbed the “Redback,” to draw big attention as it has something to do with the host country of the defense trade show.

The Redback, which is named after Australia’s venomous spider, now competes with the Lynx of Germany’s Rheinmetall to win Canberra’s mega-sized military project.

In case Hanwha wins out in the two-way race, the South Korean company will provide around 450 new tracked armored vehicles to the Australian government.

To increase its competitive edge, Hanwha Defense formed the “Team Redback” by joining hands with such global powerhouses as Israel’s Elbit and Canada’s Soucy.

More than 40 Australian companies are also members of the Hanwha team. Included in the list are such behemoths as EOS, Bisalloy, and HIFraser, according to Hanwha Defense.

Currently, performance assessments are underway with trial products of the two rivals. Australia is scheduled to single out the preferred bidder during the first quarter of 2022.

K9 self-propelled howitzer

The K9 self-propelled howitzer is also related to Australia, which picked the arms system as the sole preferred tenderer for its artillery gun procurement project last year.

The Australian Army is expected to spend nearly $1 billion to procure 30 K9 self-propelled howitzers and other systems.

“We think that the Land Forces 2021 offers an opportunity to showcase our cutting-edge ground arms systems and impress global customers,” Hanwha Defense CEO Son Jae-il said.

“In particular, we will put forth great efforts to provide customized products to the Australian Army so that we can help the country strengthen its military power and invigoratethe  defense industry.”

The Land Forces 2021 will finish its three-day run on June 3. More than 700 companies take part in the show, which first opened in 2014.

The 2021 exposition is the fourth edition of the bilateral event. Last year, the fair did not take place due to the virus pandemic.
이 기사를 공유합니다
Copyright © The Korea News Plus