The Korean Army (RoKA) will begin local trials of Hanwha Defense Australia’s AS21 Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), the South Korean government’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a March 30 statement.
The work, which will be led by RoKA’s 11th Motor Division from April to May this year, is aimed at supporting the ongoing campaign to export the Redback IFV. The vehicle is a finalist in the Australian Army’s Land 400 Phase 3 program, with Rheinmetall Defense Australia’s KF41 Lynx seeking up to 450 IFVs and 17 mobility support vehicles at a potential procurement cost of A$27 billion.
In 2021, three prototype vehicles were deployed to Australia for user risk mitigation trials and other tests. A sample returned to South Korea in March, which RoKA will use to assess its field performance – including its maneuverability, availability and maintainability – and to share the test results with its Australian counterparts.
The IFV prototype will also be used to inform South Korea’s Future Infantry Fighting Vehicle (FIFV) program.
DAPA also noted that Redback IFV will showcase its off-board health and usage management system (HUMS), which monitors and detects component failures at an early stage for preventive maintenance interventions.
The Redback is an improved version of the K21 IFV in service with RoKA. According to Hanwha, the vehicle has a combat weight of 42 tons and can accommodate three crew members and up to eight fully equipped disembarkation.
The company has worked with a number of local and international partners to bring Redback to the Australian program. For example, the vehicle is equipped with the new T2000 two-person turret developed by Canberra-based EOS Defence, which will be armed with a medium-caliber main gun and anti-tank missiles, and integrates command, control, communications, computers developed in partnership with Israel’s Elbit Systems and Intelligence (C4I) suite.
The turret can also be further enhanced with the EOS R150 or EOS R400S Mk-2-HD Remote Weapon Station.
