Hanwha Defense Redback to be Verified by the Army

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Army will conduct a trial operation of Hanwha Defense's 'Redback' armored vehicle. This is to evaluate operational performance and verify operational records ahead of export to Australia.

According to the Army on the 30th, the Armored Reconnaissance Battalion of the 11th Division will operate one Redback vehicle for two months starting next month to check its performance, including road driving. To this end, the Army and Hanwha Defense have signed an agreement and will actively cooperate for mutual support in facilities, equipment, and personnel.

This measure follows the system of 'trial operation of export-oriented weapon systems by the military,' where domestically developed weapon systems intended for export are operated by our military for a certain period to provide operational performance data.

The Redback, a tracked armored vehicle developed by Hanwha Defense based on the core technology of the K21 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, applies cutting-edge technologies such as special armor design, reinforced armor structure, and composite rubber tracks. It was selected as the final candidate for the Australian Army modernization project (LAND 400 Phase 3) and completed the evaluation for vendor selection last October.

A military official said, "Through trial operation, we expect to strengthen the defense export competitiveness of our companies with excellent products and technologies, expand opportunities to pioneer overseas markets, and by rapidly operating weapons applying rapidly developing new technologies, the military can utilize this for future generation armored vehicle requirements creation."