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Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) has confirmed that APV Corporation’s seatbelt harnesses passed blast testing trials earlier in the year, paving the way for further cooperation between the two companies for the HDA self-propelled howitzer.
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The blast testing was undertaken in Israel by Plasan.
The harnesses were designed and developed in Australia by APV, with Hanwha Defense Australia explaining that the harnesses will integrate well into the global supply of Huntsmans and Redbacks.
“Through Hanwha, APV have connected with Plasan (our protection systems partner) and agreed to explore using APV harnesses on Hanwha’s vehicles in Australia, with a view to open the door for APV to be a routine supplier to Plasan for other customers,” HDA’s industry defence unit manager Millie Keating said.
Already, Plasan has hosted a number of blast tests for the Hunstman in Israel, testing the AS9 and AS10 specific and common survivability features.
The survivability capabilities were tested with Korean and Australian team members, increasing their confidence in the capabilities yet further.
Plasan gave a nod of approval to the APV seat harnesses, impressed by the design, production and testing of the product as well as their performance throughout the blast testing.
“Working with APV introduces a great Australian company to Plasan while opening another avenue for the cooperation with Australian industry,” a spokesperson from Plasan said.
Harry Hickling, APV Corporation managing director, welcomed the opportunity to partner with Hanwha Defense Australia to keep troops safe.
“APV is proud to be supporting Hanwha Defense Australia and Plasan on these Australian programs,” Hickling said.
“We have been supplying military occupant restraints into the world’s most advanced protected vehicles for over a decade, keeping Australian and North American troops safe.
“I have been impressed with the commitment of the Hanwha team to true Australian industry engagement as demonstrated by their commitment to include APV in their blast test programs. Providing safety critical products into these vehicles is never easy and this outcome could only be achieved by their commitment to seeking out the best that Australia can offer.”
The Hanwha Defense Australia Redback is under consideration for the LAND 400 Phase program.
[Related: APV bolsters sovereign test and evaluation capability]
