Recently the Australian government announced the decision to acquire the AS9 Self Propelled Howitzers and AS10 Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehicles from Hanwha Defense Australia under Project LAND 8116 Phase 1 (Protected Mobile Fires). This major capability announcement has resulted in Kongsberg Defence Australia signing a $67 million acquisition contract with Hanwha for C4 systems and integration. Kongsberg’s Australian presence continues to grow with this contract creating up to 30 local jobs around the country.
KONGSBERG will integrate the Protected Mobile Fires capability into the Army’s C4 Force Structure. This involves the integration of tactical communication systems and Battle Management Systems into the CORTEX Integrated Combat Solution (ICS) architecture and the Odin Fire Control System. In doing so, KONGSBERG will transfer hardware and software technology and expertise to Kongsberg Defence Australia to execute and support the Australian Program.
Richard Cho, Managing Director of Hanwha Defense Australia confirmed that “Kongsberg Defence Australia’s contribution will be integral in delivering the Australian Army with a highly capable and networked Self Propelled Howitzer capability. This contract builds upon a proven and successful global partnership between Hanwha and KONGSBERG. KONGSBERG has an excellent reputation for delivering fully integrated C4 systems with exceptional functionality and reliability, and we are delighted to be partnering with them here in Australia”.
Kjetil Myhra, Executive Vice President of Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace said “For nearly three decades, KONGSBERG has demonstrated commitment to transfer world leading technology to Australia and Project LAND 8116 provides another great opportunity to do so. During the program, KONGSBERG will provide our Kongsberg Defence Australia personnel with detailed expertise on our CORTEX Integrated Combat Solution architecture and Odin Fire Control System to generate a sovereign C4 capability for the Australian Army’s Protected Mobile Fires capability.”
General Manager of Kongsberg Defence Australia, Mr John Fry, said Kongsberg Defence Australia’s partnership with Hanwha Defense Australia will deliver a sophisticated and fully integrated fires capability for the Australian Army. “The AS9 Huntsman Howitzers will provide Army with a lethal fires capability that is highly manoeuvrable and survivable. KONGSBERG’s Fire Control Solutions are based on our proven and open digital architecture which is now core to both the Australian Army’s Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) and Protected Mobile Fires programs. These systems provide a rich and intuitive user interface tailored specifically for different weapon systems and operator roles,” Fry said.
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Congrats to HDA, KDA and KDAu, I hope this becomes a great example of Defence industry collaboration.