Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Hanwha Defense Systems, a key defense contractor in South Korea, was shortlisted to ship three trial manufactured AS21 Redback infantry fighting vehicles for an Australian military project to replace old armored personnel carriers. The AS21 Redback is competing with the Lynix developed by Rheinmetall Landsysteme of Germany.

The AS21 Redback, which is the advanced version of Hanwha's K21, and the Lynx, configured as a KF31 infantry fighting vehicle, were selected as final candidates for Australia's Land 400 Phase 3 campaign to replace M113AS4 armored personnel carriers.

Hanwha will send three AS21 Redbacks to Australia by the second half of next year. The winner will be selected in 2021 after a year's trial and evaluation. The company has developed the AS21 Redback to meet future warfare requirements with enhanced protection, firepower and performance.

The 42-ton AS21 Redback can carry up to 11 people at a maximum speed of more than 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour. Hanwha said the armored vehicle is simple to operate and provides agile mobility. Its operational range is 500 km.