Hanwha Defense Ships Third Prototype of ‘Redback’ Armored Vehicle

Hanwha Defense's third prototype of the future-type tracked armored vehicle Redback, developed in-house, was shipped on the 18th.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Hanwha Defense's third prototype of the future tracked armored vehicle Redback was shipped from Masan Port, Gyeongnam, on the 18th and departed for Australia.

According to Hanwha Defense on the 21st, the third prototype, along with the first and second prototypes sent to Australia in July, is scheduled to be officially delivered to the Australian Army by mid-next month and will be put into full-scale testing and evaluation starting February.

The Australian Army is conducting the ‘LAND 400 Phase 3 project’ to introduce the latest infantry fighting vehicles to replace the aging M113 armored personnel carriers. Redback was selected last year as one of the final two candidate vehicles for this project and subsequently signed a contract to supply three prototypes for testing and evaluation to the Australian military.

After receiving the three Redback prototypes, the Australian Army will conduct evaluations from February through the second half of the year on △ vehicle performance △ protection △ firepower △ operator evaluation △ maintenance and transport.

The third prototype shipped this time was specially manufactured for testing and evaluation of protection capabilities against mines and improvised explosive devices detonating under the vehicle, as well as external bullet and shell attacks. The first and second prototypes sent earlier are being assembled locally in Australia with turrets developed by Israel’s Elbit Systems to enhance system completeness.

Meanwhile, before the third prototype was shipped from the Changwon 2 plant on the 16th, 24-hour intensive disinfection was conducted to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and a second disinfection was carried out upon arrival at Masan Port.

At the shipping ceremony, about 20 researchers responsible for developing the Redback prototype wrote messages of support and expectations for the Redback’s success on the steel plates installed inside the vehicle, wishing for victory in the final competition.

Redback is a state-of-the-art tracked armored vehicle that combines the development technology of the domestically deployed K21 infantry fighting vehicle and the powerpack solution of the K9 self-propelled howitzer, with enhanced protection and mobility.

The vehicle’s ‘Integrated Suspension Unit (ISU)’ with hydraulic system differs from the ‘torsion bar’ type shock absorber by actively absorbing shocks according to ground conditions. In particular, the composite rubber track (CRT) reduces noise and vibration significantly, and the design and technology applied allow for increased protection while maintaining a lightweight chassis.

The armament and protection systems incorporate the latest technologies from Israel and Australia, forming ‘Team Hanwha.’

The turret equipped with the main armament, a 30mm autocannon, integrates technology from Israel’s Elbit Systems, while the remote firing control system is handled by Australia’s EOS Systems.

Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with ‘Iron Vision,’ which allows 360-degree external monitoring through special goggles inside the vehicle, and ‘Iron Fist,’ an active protection technology that detects and intercepts anti-tank missiles approaching the armored vehicle in advance.

Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Defense, stated, “Redback is the optimal solution that meets the Australian Army’s requirements for a future tracked armored vehicle. We expect to demonstrate overwhelming performance in local testing and evaluation, confirming the technological capabilities of ‘Team Hanwha.’”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.