After months of anticipation, Defence Connect can reveal that Rheinmetall Australia has been selected as the successful tenderer for the hotly-contested LAND 400 Phase 2 program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rheinmetall\u2019s bid, comprising of the Boxer CRV, has beaten out BAE Systems Australia AMV-35 offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project, worth up to $5 billion, will see Rheinmetall deliver up to 225 combat reconnaissance vehicles to the Australia Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the company\u2019s offering to the Commonwealth, Rheinmetall will build a majority of the vehicles in Queensland. The first 25 vehicles will be built in Germany in a move Rheinmetall says will support the transfer of technology. Australians will be embedded into teams in Germany to learn the necessary skills before transferring back to Australia for the build of the remaining 200 CRVs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the first 25 vehicles are being built overseas, Rheinmetall will establish its manufacturing hub, the Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) in Brisbane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The MILVEHCOE was announced by Rheinmetall last July and will act as a sovereign industrial capability for the continuous design, manufacture, export and support for military vehicles, turrets and tactical systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a centre of excellence, the MILVEHCOE will be the focal point for the LAND 400 combat vehicles, LAND 121 logistics vehicles and other complex defence projects. Under the LAND 121 Phase 3B program, Rheinmetall is delivering more than 2,500 logistics trucks to the Australian Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rheinmetall has partnered with several Australian SMEs for the project, including Melbourne\u2019s Heuch, Cablex and Tectonica Australia, Burnie-based Direct Edge, Brisbane-based G&O Kert, Melbourne\/Brisbane-based Hilton Manufacturing, Perth-based Hoffman Engineering, Melbourne-based Nezkot Precision Tooling and Engineering, Adelaide-based Plasteel and Adelaide-based Redarc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n