Rheinmetall, the largest supplier of military vehicles to the Australian Defence Force has today announced the build and export contract of a Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) Test Chassis to the United States of America from its factory in Redbank Queensland.
Gary Stewart, Rheinmetall Defence’s Australia Managing Director had the following insights.
“The contract is the first of its kind and provides design and manufacturing export work both for the Rheinmetall team and its growing Australian Industry network in the long run.”
“This is a landmark for Rheinmetall and Australia with the Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle test.”
“The vehicle chassis will be manufactured at the state-of-the-art Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) at Redbank, Queensland and importantly, contributes to the Federal Government’s objectives as set out in the Australian Defence Export Strategy.”
“Rheinmetall, the renown Australian military supplier, manufactured Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle Chassis test rig destined for Rheinmetall’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) campaign to showcase advanced automotive capabilities in the Lynx platform.”
How the Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle rates globally
Mr. Stewart also reiterated that the Lynx vehicle export order will be delivered to Rheinmetall in the U.S supporting the business’s global activities currently underway in the OMFV competition and the US Department of Defense’s Bradley fighting vehicle replacement program.
“Lynx is a next-generation fighting vehicle with unmatched protection and lethality.”
“Rheinmetall has developed a next-generation architecture to ensure onboard sensors, systems, and effectors are networkable into Defence’s broader network architecture.”
“The new test vehicle will demonstrate advanced features of mobility.”
Notable partners that contributed to the Lynx IFV
“The Australian export opportunities for Rheinmetall increased with this contract and provided flow on for Australian Industry Capability (AIC) partners that contribute to the Lynx IFV.”
“The AIC partners are the backbone of our Lynx manufacturing in Australia.
“We are proud to partner with organizations such as Marand who handle the Roof module, Supashock who are responsible for the Running gear, and MILSPEC Bisalloy who built the Alternator, and Steel and various mechanical and electrical fabrication partner content.”
Mr. Stewart said that while Rheinmetall announced the export of the Lance Turret to Hungary, the machine would be the first vehicle export from Australia, thus a landmark achievement.
The Lynx is a next-generation infantry fighting vehicle designed to confront the challenges of future battlefields. The Lynx provides adaptability; survivability and capacity not seen before in a vehicle of this type and is a protected IFV built to meet tough military requirements.
