DTN News: Australia Issues RFP For New Light Armored Vehicles

DTN News: Australia Issues RFP For New Light Armored Vehicles

Opportunity for Australian Defence Industry *Source: Australian Department of Defence (NSI News Source Info) June 13, 2009: Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, today announced that the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) has released a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking Australian manufactured and supported protected mobility vehicles under Project LAND 121 Phase 4.

*Phase 4 will see the acquisition of a further 1,200 armored light vehicles in the 1- and 2-ton payload class worth an estimated $1.2 billion Australian.

*Phase 5 will see the acquisition of about 2,000 unprotected, commercial off-the-shelf trucks and utility vehicles worth about $300 million Australian. These will be used for training and low-risk logistics tasks.

Project LAND 121 Phase 4 will provide the core of the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) light protected vehicle fleet that can be deployed for operations. They will replace some of the ADF 4200 Land Rovers with a fleet of protected light mobility vehicles.

The vehicles will perform a number of important combat support roles, including command, liaison and light battlefield resupply. They will be provided to Army’s combat units and will be designed to operate in future conflict environments.

“The new vehicles will improve the level of safety for our troops overseas through an increase in the level of ballistic and blast protection over current lightweight vehicles,” said Mr Combet. “This is a fantastic opportunity for local defence industry, provided they can demonstrate their competitiveness, and I encourage local manufacturers to explore this opportunity.”

“The Rudd Government is committed to supporting Australian defence jobs by ensuring that local defence industry has every opportunity to compete to provide the equipment our ADF needs.”

The solicitation of local industry is being pursued in parallel with the ongoing Australian participation in the US Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Program. These parallel processes will ensure that all viable options available for the delivery of light protected mobility vehicles to the Army have been considered.

“This approach is consistent with Mortimer Review recommendations, and will ensure that taxpayers receive value for money and that the Army and our soldiers receive the best equipment and protection possible,” said Mr Combet.