Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




MILTECH
General Dynamics, Thales team for defense contract
by Richard Tomkins
Adelaide, Australia (UPI) Mar 17, 2015


Belgian, Austrian armored vehicles getting increased protection
Bern, Switzerland (UPI) Mar 18, 2015 - RUAG Defense of Switzerland is to develop ballistic protection kits for Pandur modular vehicles operated by Belgium and Austria.

The work comes under a joint procurement contract from the two countries, RUAG reported, but no information was given as to its monetary value.

The Pandur, manufactured by Austria's Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeuge, is a modular light armored vehicle used in transport of personnel.

All five variants in the Belgian and Austrian fleets will receive the kit upgrades for increased protection against threats, including mines and improvised explosive devices.

RUAG Defence, which is expanding its ballistic protection business, said its kit will include SidePRO-KE/IED, a fully integrated, modular polyvalent composite protection system that uses a variety of advanced lightweight materials and which can be applied directly onto armored vehicles. Also included will be its MinePRO protection systems, which is a lightweight, blast and EFP resistant system.

Development, production and delivery of the kits for Belgium and Austria will begin this spring and be finished by the end of 2020.

Subsidiaries of General Dynamics and Thales are planning to jointly bid on a contract to design and build combat reconnaissance vehicles for the Australia.

The contract from Australia's Department of Defense is for the first 225 8x8 vehicles and will be issued under the country's Land 400 Phase 2 - Mounted Combat Reconnaissance Capability program. The program envisages a total of 700 vehicles and carries a total value of about $7.6 billion.

The request for tender process will conclude in late June and as many as 10 contractors are expected to enter the competition.

Among them is BAE Systems, which has teamed with Patria of Finland to offer Patria's 8x8 armored modular vehicle.

General Dynamics Land Systems-Australia said the planned teaming with Thales Australia comes under memorandum of understanding signed recently by the two entities.

"General Dynamics Land Systems and Thales will leverage our strengths to deliver a low-risk Land Combat Vehicle System capability for LAND 400," said Ian Cook, managing director of General Dynamics Land Systems - Australia. "This is a great opportunity for us to combine world-leading MOTS (military off-the-shelf) 8x8 platforms with proven in-country manufacturing, integration, upgrade and through-life support.

"Our arrangement will maximize domestic and international opportunities for our Australian industry and builds on the success of our current platforms in protecting Australian soldiers."

Added Kevin Wall, Armaments & Protected Vehicles vice president, Thales Australia: "General Dynamics is a global powerhouse in military vehicles. Combined with our experience delivering, supporting and upgrading the life-saving Bushmaster in Australia, we believe the collective expertise of our two companies represents a compelling offer for LAND 400."

General Dynamics Land Systems is the manufacturer of 8x8 and tracked military off-the-shelf combat reconnaissance vehicle, infantry fighting vehicles and maneuver support vehicle. Thales Australia has an established in-country industrial base for vehicle design, manufacture and through-life support. It is the manufacturer of the Bushmaster protected military vehicle and is also expert in electronics, electro-optics, simulation and platform systems integration.

The Australian Defense Force's fleet of Light Armored Vehicles will near the end of their life next decade and the new vehicles will replace them.

"The ASLAV is the ADF's current mounted combat reconnaissance vehicle and has seen extensive operational service, including in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan," The Minister for Defense Kevin Andrews said last month. "The fleet will reach the end of its life around 2021. The government is committed to replacing and enhancing the Army's fleet of combat vehicles and other land force capabilities to best protect our soldiers."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
The latest in Military Technology for the 21st century at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





MILTECH
Freezing Cold War: Canadato Spend Billions on Arctic Military Gear
Moscow (Sputnik) Mar 18, 2015
As winter comes to a close, Canada prepares to spend billions on new military equipment to support operations in the country's inhospitable Arctic regions. According to Defense News, both the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force are set to receive some major equipment upgrades to help maintain the nation's resource-rich northern regions. Prime Minister Harper insists that t ... read more


MILTECH
Russia Plans to Adapt New Angara-5 Rocket for Flights to the Moon

Russia Plans to Start Moon Exploration Jointly With Partners

Billionaire Teams Up with NASA to Mine the Moon

China Gets One Step Closer to Completing its Ambitious Lunar Mission

MILTECH
Roscosmos: Manned Flight to Mars Will Be Impossible Without Russia's Help

NASA Challenge Invites Students to Help Design Journey to Mars Systems

Taking a Closer Look at Purple-Bluish Rock Formation

Mystery Giant Mars Plumes Still Unexplained

MILTECH
Chinese descend on remote Palau as wanderlust deepens

Merkel to open IT fair with China showcasing tech's shift east

Intergalactic GPS Will Guide You through the Stars

Space soprano plans first duet from ISS

MILTECH
China's Yutu rover reveals Moon's "complex" geological history

China's Space Laboratory Still Cloaked

China has ability but no plan for manned lunar mission: expert

Tianzhou-1 cargo ship to dock with space lab in 2016

MILTECH
Lockheed Martin reveals new method for resupplying space station

Testing astronauts' lungs in Space Station airlock

Astronauts return to Earth on Russian Soyuz spaceship

International Space Station 'Lost' Without Russia Says NASA Chief

MILTECH
Soyuz Installed at Baikonur, Expected to Launch Wednesday

45th Space Wing unveils multi-vehicle launch support center

THOR 7 being fueled for Arianespace's dual-payload April mission

Arianespace wins SES-15 launch contract

MILTECH
Scientists: Nearby Earth-like planet isn't just 'noise'

'Habitable' planet GJ 581d previously dismissed as noise probably does exist

Exorings on the Horizon

Planet 'Reared' by Four Parent Stars

MILTECH
Inbuilt immune defense could protect industrial bacteria from viruses

In pursuit of the perfectly animated cloud of smoke

3-D printer for small molecules opens access to customized chemistry

Researchers identify process for improving durability of glass




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.