[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense video] Redback Armored Vehicle Field Test Footage

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Hanwha Defense is drawing attention as footage of its self-test evaluation of the Redback (REDBACK) armored vehicle, which will be exported to Australia, has been released.

On the 14th, Hanwha Defense announced that it signed a contract to deliver three prototype Redback armored vehicles worth 40.5 billion KRW to the Australian Defence Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG). This follow-up contract was made after the Australian government selected Hanwha Defense's Redback and Germany's Rheinmetall Defense's Lynx as the final candidate vehicles for its future tracked armored vehicle acquisition project. The Australian military is currently conducting a project to purchase 400 next-generation infantry fighting vehicles and related vehicles (8 types). Of the total project budget of 8 to 12 trillion KRW, about 5 trillion KRW is allocated solely for equipment acquisition. Under this contract, Hanwha Defense will deliver three prototypes to the Australian government by the second half of 2020. Subsequently, a fierce competition with the German armored vehicle will take place through about a one-year test evaluation leading up to the final contractor selection by the end of 2021.

Hanwha Defense's Redback armored vehicle is a future tracked armored vehicle that enhances performance such as protection and firepower, based on the development technology of the K21 infantry fighting vehicle, which has already been verified by the Korean military, and the powerpack solution of the K9 self-propelled howitzer. It is equipped with a 30mm turret, anti-tank missiles, various detection and tracking functions, and defense systems. The name "Redback" is derived from the redback spider, known as the most venomous spider in the world, native to the Australian region.

In addition, Hanwha Defense's main export product, the K9 self-propelled howitzer, is also gaining momentum. The Indian Army received and deployed 41 units of the 'K9 Vajra self-propelled howitzer,' which is a locally modified version of the K9 self-propelled howitzer, ahead of schedule by several months. The Indian government originally planned to complete the deployment of 100 K9 Vajra self-propelled howitzers by November this year. With the early delivery of 41 units, the overall schedule is expected to be advanced as well.

The units were delivered by Larsen & Toubro (L&T), a local defense company headquartered in Mumbai, India. In 2017, Hanwha Defense (then Hanwha Techwin) signed an export contract with the Indian government for 100 K9 self-propelled howitzers. The contract was valued at 45 billion rupees (720 billion KRW), which included some technology transfer value.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), from 2000 to 2017, the K9 self-propelled howitzer accounted for 48% (572 units) of the global self-propelled howitzer export market share, surpassing Germany's PzH2000 (189 units), France's Caesar (175 units), and China's PLZ-45 (128 units).