The Redback, designed by Hanwha Defense headquartered in South Korea, is under consideration by the Commonwealth under an ongoing tender process for Project LAND 400 Phase 3, which is an $18 billion to $27 billion project tasked to acquire 450 Infantry Fighting Vehicles for the Australian Defence Force.
Soucy’s Composite Rubber Track (CRT) offers many advantages over conventional metal track designs including up to 70 per cent less vibration, up to 13.5 decibels of noise reduction, less weight, better manoeuvrability, up to 80 per cent less maintenance, and better efficiency that enables higher top vehicle speeds or fuel savings of up to 30 per cent.
Hanwha Defense Australia’s parent company Hanwha Defence Corporation (HDC) and Soucy have had a long and collaborative relationship which saw HDC working with Soucy’s CRT system for vehicles in the Korean Defence Force. From there, once the advantages of the new CRT system were considered, it became a simple decision for Hanwha Defense Australia to specify the state-of-the-art Soucy CRT for its Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
Should the Redback be selected,this arrangement will see 50 per cent of Soucy’s CRT technology transferred to Hanwha Defense Australia to enable local manufacture of track mechanical components such as road wheels and idlers to be sub-licensed to Australian industry. This work is likely to be awarded to one or more small to medium sized companies following the completion of an ongoing market testing activity.
“Hanwha’s overall AIC strategy is to deliver to our customer the best technologies from Australia and around the world,” said Mr Richard Cho, Managing Director of Hanwha Defense Australia. “In this instance, Soucy’s Composite Rubber Track is a highly innovative product that offers significant advantages and we are enormously pleased to be working with them to bring that technology to Australia under the Risk Mitigation Activity.”
“Soucy has a long history of working successfully with Hanwha,” said Mr Normand Lalonde from Soucy, “and we are excited to see that relationship extend into Australia with our CRT on the Redback IFV. Soucy has a long-term strategy for the Asia-Pacific region and our cooperation with Hanwha is an important part of that.”
There is also strong interest in the Soucy CRT system from other parts of the world with Soucy International recently being awarded a contract to deliver prototype CRT systems to the US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Centre where they will be used during experimentation of manned and unmanned Next Generation Combat Vehicle platforms. “With the advantages of the Soucy CRT being so clear and decisive, we were gratified but not really surprised to see the US interest in the system. I think CRT is going to be the best solution for many programs and I am proud that Hanwha is working with Soucy to bring it to Australia,” Mr Cho said.
About Soucy
The Soucy Group employs more than 1,700 people over 10 subsidiaries located in North America and Asia. They develop their own manufacturing equipment and facilities to meet the specific requirements of each application. Soucy Defense Division products meet the highest requirements and are approved by military forces around the world. Soucy CRT systems have been operationally deployed in several theatres and were adapted to a variety of platforms like M113, CV90, Bronco and BV206 amongst others.
About Team Redback
Team Redback, led by Hanwha Defense Australia, has been formed to deliver best of breed Australian and global technologies to the Australian Defence Force. Team Redback includes Elbit Land Systems, EOS Defence Systems, Bisalloy Steels, ECLIPS Logistics, Soucy Defense, Milspec Manufacturing, CBG Systems and ANCA; with a growing list of Australian suppliers being identified to support the LAND 400 Phase 3 Risk Mitigation Activity. These teaming arrangements are focused on making the Redback IFV the safest, most effective vehicle possible
About Hanwha Defense Australia
Hanwha Defense Australia is a subsidiary of Hanwha Defense International which is a division of the vast Republic of Korea Fortune 500 conglomerate Hanwha Corporation. Hanwha Corporation has been operating in Australia since 2005 in areas including mining equipment, logistics and alternative energy. Headquartered in Melbourne, Hanwha Defense Australia was established in 2019 with an initial focus on Land Systems. The company has been selected as the sole tenderer to bid for LAND 8116, a $0.9 billion to $1.3 billion project which will see the Commonwealth acquire self-propelled artillery systems to be manufactured in the Greater Geelong area of Victoria.
For further information please contact:
Daniel Cotterill
Strategic Communications Manager
Hanwha Defense Australia Pty Ltd
(t): +61 488 294 966
(e): daniel.cotterill@hanwha-defence.com.au
Kevin Sloan
Director Business Development
Soucy Defense
(t): +44 7552233834
(e): kevin.sloan@soucy-group.com
