Hanwha Defense Participates in $54 Trillion USD US Army Next-Generation Combat Vehicle Concept Design

Hanwha Defense Redback Armored Vehicle [Photo by Hanwha Defense]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Hanwha Defense announced on the 24th that it will collaborate with Oshkosh Defense, a U.S. military vehicle developer, on the concept design of the U.S. Army's next-generation manned-unmanned combined operation infantry fighting vehicle.

On the 23rd, the U.S. Army announced five competitive candidates participating in the second phase concept design of the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) development project, naming the 'Oshkosh-Hanwha' consortium as one of them.

The OMFV project is a key task in the U.S. Army modernization effort aimed at replacing over 3,500 M2 Bradley armored vehicles. The total project cost reaches approximately 54 trillion KRW.

Earlier in April, the OMFV bid proposal submission began, with more than six global defense companies led by consortia such as General Dynamics, BAE Systems, and Rheinmetall Defense entering the competition.

The five selected competitive candidates will conduct concept research and design work over the next 15 months according to the main requirements set by the U.S. Army. Subsequently, around 2023, the candidates will be narrowed down to three for detailed design and prototype development, with the final contractor expected to be announced in the second half of 2027.

Hanwha Defense plans to leverage its independent technological capabilities and experience accumulated through the development of the K21 infantry fighting vehicle for the Republic of Korea Army and the 'Redback' armored vehicle developed targeting the Australian market to design and develop cutting-edge manned-unmanned combined combat vehicles in the world's largest defense market, the United States. To this end, it established a U.S. corporation in May and is accelerating preparations for the OMFV project by hiring specialized engineers from Korea and the U.S.

The Oshkosh-Hanwha team aims to develop a new concept manned-unmanned combined infantry fighting vehicle that meets the U.S. Army's requirements based on the Redback armored vehicle. The Redback is a 5th generation infantry fighting vehicle developed by Hanwha Defense in partnership with global defense companies from Israel, Australia, Canada, and others. It was selected as one of the final two candidates in Australia's 2019 next-generation tracked armored vehicle acquisition project and is undergoing final testing and evaluation by the Australian Army.

Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Defense, said, "We feel proud to compete with global defense companies on a cutting-edge combat vehicle development project in the world's largest defense market, the United States," adding, "We will concentrate the advanced armored vehicle development technology and capabilities that Hanwha Defense possesses, such as Redback, to achieve the best results in the U.S. OMFV project."