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A cavalry unit of the South Korean Army is set to put the armoured vehicle to the test later this year.
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The Republic of Korea Army has announced plans to trial Hanwha Defense’s Redback infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) following its return from Australia, where it completed a Risk Mitigation Activity as part of Hanwha’s bid for the Commonwealth government’s LAND 400 Phase 3 project.
A Redback IFV is set to be handed over in April to an armoured cavalry unit of the ROK Army for two months of testing, aimed at assessing the tracked vehicle’s advanced technologies and operational capabilities.
The trials will particularly focus on the Redback’s mobility, operability and maintainability.
Mobility tests, to take place on both paved and unpaved roads, are expected to involve pivot, obstacle clearance and night manoeuvring with situational awareness equipment.
Operability trials will be aimed at evaluating situational awareness cameras, operation during hard braking, load space and the ergonomics of various seating configurations, as well as assessing tactical operations of the auxiliary power unit and turret systems.
As part of a review into the Redback’s operational sustainability, the vehicle will also be assessed in various recovery situations.
The Redback's Offboard Health and Usage Management System (HUMS), which monitors and diagnoses component faults in their early stages, will also be tested during the trials.
The announcement comes just days after Hanwha Defense signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NSW-based Bisalloy Steel, which is set to supply steel for the manufacture of Redback IFVs and K9 Self-Propelled Howitzers.
The companies also committed to conducting a joint technical analysis to explore whether Bisalloy steel can be integrated into the vehicles for export to overseas markets.
This includes potential support for Hanwha’s $1.6 billion K9A1EGY contract with the Egyptian Ministry of Defence.
Hanwha Defense Australia was also recently selected to support the Oshkosh Defense OMFV Consortium – a co-operative participating in the US Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program Concept Design Phase.
The consortium – which includes Hanwha Defense USA, Pratt Miller Defense, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, QinetiQ Inc, and Plasan – is expected to leverage the chassis technology used in the Redback IFV.
The US Army's OMFV program aims to replace nearly 3,800 Bradley Fighting Vehicles among its Armoured Brigade Combat Teams.
[Related: Hanwha Defense, Bisalloy Steel sign export deal ]
