Hanwha Defence Australia (HAD) took the opportunity at the 2025 edition of Avalon Airshow to ink an agreement with Penske Australia for the assembly, testing, and supply of 129 engines for the Australian Army’s Redback infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), the company announced on 26 March.
Penske Australia will be responsible for the local assembly of the 1000hp-class Rolls-Royce Power Systems mtu MT881-Ka500 engine, under a technology transfer agreement with South Korea’s STX Engine. The engines will be delivered to the Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) for integration to the Redback IFVs being produced there.
Penske Australia will also conduct local assembly and testing of the Allison X1100 series cross drive transmission under licence using kits supplied by South Korea’s SNT Dynamics. According to the company, the Allison X1100 transmission system is also found in the K9 howitzer.
The Australian government earlier selected HDA to deliver 129 AS21 Redback IFVs under the Australian Army’s LAND 400 Phase 3 programme following a five-year tender which saw HDA eventually edging out Rheinmetall Defence Australia (RDA)’s Lynx KF41 IFV.
The Land 400 Phase 3 programme, which is worth A$5-7 billion, aims to replace the Australian Army’s upgraded but ageing Vietnam-era M113AS4 armoured personnel carriers (APCs).
The new vehicles – which are an evolution of the K21 IFV in service with the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) – will be locally manufactured at the H-ACE facility.
The same facility will also build AS9 Huntsman 155mm self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and AS10 Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehicles (AARVs) based on the K9 SPH and K10 AARV.
HDA earlier won an A$1 billion contract in December 2021 to supply 30 AS9 Huntsman SPHs and 15 AS10 AARVs under the LAND 8116 Protected Mobile Fires programme.
by Jr Ng
