Rheinmetall Defence Australia has 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.
According to Gary Stewart, Defence and Managing Director Rheinmetall Defence Australia, the contract is a landmark for Rheinmetall and Australia with the Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle test chassis to be manufactured at the state-of-the-art Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) at Redbank, Queensland Importantly, it contributes to the Federal Government’s objectives as set out in the Australian Defence Export Strategy.
Rheinmetall is mainly into defense systems and has become one of the industry’s heavy hitters over the years. An armored infantry fighting vehicle called Lynx is one of the main products of the Rheinmetall. A new variant of the Lynx combat vehicle is currently being considered by the U.S. Army as a replacement for the M-2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), which has been in service since the early 1980s.
“The Australian manufactured Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle Chassis is a test rig destined for Rheinmetall’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) campaign to showcase advanced automotive capabilities in the Lynx platform,” Mr. Stewart said.
The Lynx vehicle export order will be delivered to Rheinmetall in the United States, supporting the business’s worldwide activities currently underway in the OMFV competition and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Bradley fighting vehicle replacement program.
“Lynx is a next-generation fighting vehicle with unmatched protection and lethality. Rheinmetall has developed the next generation electronic architecture to ensure onboard sensors, systems, and effectors are able to be networked into Defence’s broader network architecture,” Mr. Stewart said. “The new test vehicle will demonstrate advanced features of mobility.”
The exact specifications of the vehicle that will be delivered to the U.S. Army are not known for now. The Lynx family of tracked armored vehicles can be configured for a variety of roles that include command and control, armored reconnaissance, surveillance, repair, recovery, or ambulance operations, in addition to infantry fighting vehicle configuration.
