PROGRAMMES AT A GLANCE: DECEMBER 2020 • 10 Programmes updated • 2 New Programmes The full programme section is available online Sponsored by: www.soldiermod.com SoldierMod 1 PROGRAMMES AT A GLANCE DEC 2020 Country | Programme Name Schedule | Contractor Team Recent Procurement Activity | Notes Country | Programme Name Schedule | Contractor Team Recent Procurement Activity | Notes Australia: Land 53 Procurement of night vision goggles, L-3 awarded a contract worth $208 million by the Australia: Land 200 The Australian Federal Government The Department of Defence has sought to delay helmet mounts and other equipment Australian Defence Force under Phase 1BR of the LAND 200 is made up of phases announced that Eylex Pty Ltd has first pass approval for Battlefield Command approved. programme in mid-November 2016. It will provide from three projects: Land 125, Land been selected to supply critical Systems under Land 200 Phase 3. a range of systems, such as binocular night vision equipment to the $5.2 billion Land | L-3 75 and JP 2072. The pause is until ‘at least’ February 2022. The goggles and miniature laser rangefinders. 400 Phase 2 Commonwealth defence Department attributes the delay to ‘overall The equipment is set to be delivered between 2017 program, including Racal Acoustics movement in committee processes and Covid-19’. and 2023, with the final materiel release set for March RA4000 Magna and RA5001 Raptor headsets for Boxer 8×8 Combat The Land 200 program is designed to transition 2023 and final operational capability to be declared in Army command from paper to digital, providing September of that year. UPDATED Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) with deliveries later this year. real-time situational awareness, combat planning Thales Australia is the prime This project is delivering a weapon system based tools and combat messaging. In 2017, then-Chief Australia: Land 125 Phase 3C | Eylex Pty Ltd contractor manufacturing the on the Enhanced F88 rifle comprising a Grenade of Army LTGEN Angus Campbell described the Enhanced F88 rifle and supplying the Launcher Attachment (GLA) and a suite of surveillance program as the ‘highest priority’ in the Army. Steyr Mannlicher-produced GLA. and target ancillaries, including an enhanced day sight Phase 1, which included a Battle Management and thermal and image-intensifier sights. System (BMS) for vehicles under Land 75, a BMS A contract for the production of 30,000 Enhanced F88 for soldiers under Land 125 Phase 3A, and vehicle rifles, 2,277 GLAs, repair parts and training aids was comms under JP 2072 Phase 1, achieved Final signed in July 2015. Deliveries commenced in August Operational Capability in the first quarter of 2015, 2015 and will continue through to 2021. two years behind schedule. Surveillance and target ancillaries have been fully Phase 2 includes radios under Land 2072 Phase 3 delivered. and BMS upgrades under Land 125 Phase 4, and achieved contract signature in 2017. It is expected Deliveries of weapon systems into Queensland have to achieve Final Operational Capability in 2022. been completed. Deliveries to units of the readying This part of the program came under fire from brigade primarily located in South Australia and the the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in Northern Territory have commenced and will be May 2019 for exceeding original budgetary and completed in April 2019. capability remits. Final Materiel Release is scheduled for December Phase 3 includes expansion of the BCS across Army 2021, with Final Operational Capability in June 2022. and select RAN and RAAF elements, a beyond line- Australia: Land 125 To be managed by Diggerworks. All personnel in Land 125-4 will already have L53- of-sight comms capability, a dismounted battlefield Phase 4 (Army High Priority Equipping the soldier after 2020. 1BR - Night Fighting Equipment technology re-fresh command systems capability, and more. It is Capability Gaps - Next Soldier Programme likely to be renamed. L125-3B – Survivability – the Soldier Combat Ensemble forecast to cost $1-2 billion with sustainment worth Enhancement) | TBC (Protection, Platform, Pouches, Packs) L125-3C – $60-90m annually over 15 years. Enhanced F88 with ‘open architecture’ Army Minors, The Land 121 Phase 3B contract Deliveries of more than 2500 Rheinmetall MAN Force Protection Review, Sustainment – F88SA2 and 3, Australia: Land 121 Phase 3 commenced in April 2016 with a four high mobility logistics vehicles to the Australian 7.62mm MG, 7.62mm Marksman Rifle. year program focused on the delivery Defence Force have achieved a major new |The Australian Government has approved a project of a fleet of 2,536 vehicles in multiple milestone with the Commonwealth of Australia to enhance and continuously improve the equipment configurations to form the logistics declaring Initial Operating Capability (IOC) status used by the Australian Defence Force. Minister for backbone of the Australian Defence for the LAND 121 Phase 3B program. Defence, Christopher Pyne MP, said the Integrated Force. Deliveries to Australian The vehicles included under the Land 121 Phase Soldier Systems project, valued at up to $1 billion over Army facilities around Australia are 3B program and delivered to the Australian Army its 13-year life cycle, would deliver a range of items of expected to be completed by April to date include the variants: Heavy Integrated Load equipment to the ADF for use by our troops. “We’re 2020 under the Land 121 Phase 3B Handling (HX-77); Heavy Tipper (HX-77); Medium taking a flexible approach here,” said Minister Pyne, program schedule. Tipper (40-M); Tractor (HX-81); Heavy Recovery “investing up to $240 million between now and 2023, (45M); Medium-weight Tray with Crane (40M); with the flexibility to update and change things as Medium-weight Tray (40M). technology develops into the future.” Australian industry capability (AIC) is a critical The first tranche will deliver supplements to the part of the Land 121 Phase 3B program and will basic equipment used by soldiers including body be underscored during the next phase of the armor, helmets, hearing and eye protection and load program - Land 121 Phase 3B/5B - which will carriage equipment; as well as field equipment like see Rheinmetall deliver a further 1,044 vehicles water purifiers, helmet torches, storage bags, cooking and 872 modules, as well as on-going support gear, and sleeping bags. In the future the project will to the capability to ensure it meets operational continue to enhance the basic equipment used by requirements. soldiers to keep it up to date, as well as looking at things like hand-held translators, portable unmanned Australia: Land 8710 Army’s Land Mobility System Program is currently aerial vehicles and ideas like exoskeletons or ‘mule’ looking at replacing the ageing Mechanized Mark unmanned vehicles to help soldiers carry their 8 Landing Craft (LCM8), which were originally equipment. brought into service by the US Navy for river operations during the Vietnam War. The Australian NEW Army have been using similar platform types for many years, which will soon be replaced by a more suitable watercraft under Project Land 8710 Phase 1 (Army Water Transport). Now that the landing craft (LLCs) aboard HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide are fit for purpose, they could serve as a viable contender to meet Army’s future water transport requirements. 2 Volume 24 www.soldiermod.com SoldierMod 3 PROGRAMMES AT A GLANCE DEC 2020 Country | Programme Name Schedule | Contractor Team Recent Procurement Activity | Notes Country | Programme Name Schedule | Contractor Team Recent Procurement Activity | Notes Austria: Soldat der Zukunft 90 Million Euro investment. New visor Glock P80 Pistols ordered. OPS-Core Sentry XP Finland: Now known as The system should be fielded by the end Tactical Headgear for Operational Requirements system to be evaluated mid cut helmets ordered. Radio Conrad PNR 500. Warrior 2020 of 2019. (THOR) has been adopted by the Finnish Defense | Elbit Systems | TP2010 includes Savox as integrator Forces as the helmet component of their Soldier and Millog, Nethawk and Insta. Modernization Program: Warrior 2020. A multi- year contract was recently let by the Finnish Austria: Soldat 2018 Combined with Soldat der Zukundt Madritsch delivered first batch of its AG77 A1/ Elbit Systems has been selected to Defense Forces Logistics Command, with initial procurement. ML40. Soldat 2018 CRC kits to be delivered by supply “soldier systems” to Finnish deliveries being used for acceptance testing. infantry commanders. This acquisition | Elbit Systems 2020 Savox is the prime contractor of the consortium is the first phase of a comprehensive behind THOR, along with industry partners, Millog ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Oy (night vision) and Fy-Composites Oy (ballistic Acquisition and Reconnaissance) protection). Belgium: BEST INVISIO 2019: Invisio has received a follow-up order from program known as STAR. the Belgian Army to supply communication and | SAVOX has begun delivery of THOR Headgear hearing protection systems. for FDF. The initial order is for an undisclosed number of THOR tactical combat headgear The company won the order in partnership with systems destined for the FDF. These units will Thales Belgium, which is the main contractor for go into acceptance testing and approvals. The the programme. initial delivery is part of a rolling contract, which The order is valued at around Skr25m ($2.57m). will see a steady ramping up of volume towards Invisio expects to make deliveries in the fourth mass production later this year, with further quarter of this year and the first half of next year. options continuing for an undisclosed number of Brazil: Combatente The project is expected to continue $14m award for Harris Falcon II&III radios in years. The FDF procurement has been handled by the FDF’s joint procurement organisation, the Brasileiro (COBRA) until 2021. The system will influence the RF-7800V in Feb. 2011. First 86 VBTP-MR Guarani decisions but will not be copied 100,000 6x6 IFVs delivered requirement for 2130.