Hanwha competes with German rival to sell new infantry fighting vehicle in Australia

By Park Sae-jin Posted : September 17, 2019, 14:07 Updated : September 17, 2019, 14:07

[Courtesy of Hanwha Defense Systems]

SEOUL --  Redback, a 42-ton infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) produced by South Korea's defense contractor Hanwha Defense, verified its viability after it selected as one of the two final candidates for an Australian military program to replace old armored personal carriers.

Hanwha's AS21 Redback equipped with a 40mm caliber automatic cannon is the advanced version of K21, which has been in service in South Korea since 2009, with enhanced protection, firepower and performance. It can move at a maxim speed of 65 kilometers per hour with up 11 people aboard.

Hanwha has teamed up with EOS, an Australian defense company, to compete with Rheinmetall Defense of Germany for Australia's Land 400 Phase 3 program to acquire up to 450 tracked IFVs that would replace old M113AS4 armored personal carriers. The Australian defense ministry will test Hanwha's AS21 Redback and Rheinmetall's Lynx KF41 over a period of two years before selecting the winner in late 2021.

Rheinmetall was selected for Australia's Project Land 400 Phase 2 program in August 2018 to supply 211 Boxer 8×8 armored vehicles. Hanwha has participated in overseas military projects to sell K21 and other weapons.

 
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