Hanwha Selected to Supply Australia with 129 'Redback' Infantry Vehicles

Australia is buying 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles produced by South Korea’s Hanwha Defense for approximately $4.5 billion.

Redbacks would be built at the company’s facilities in the Geelong region. At a cost of between A$5 billion and A$7 billion, the LAND 400 Phase 3 project will be one of the largest capability acquisitions in Army’s history, Australia’s defence ministry said in a statement.

Replacing the M113 armoured personel carriers, which were acquired in 1964, the first Redback will be delivered in early 2027. The new vehicles will be delivered about the same time as the new HIMARS missile systems and landing craft.

Redbacks will be used by Australia to transport and protect soldiers in close combat.

'A-JEX' of General Dynamics of the U.S., 'CV90' of BAE Systems of the U.K., and 'Lynx' of Rheinmetall of Germany competed with Redback for the Australian project. In September 2019, South Korea shortlisted two models - Redback and Lynx.